June 5, 2024
It bills for no one. For now, at least, Congestion Pricing is paused.
“Circumstances have changed and we must respond to the facts on the ground — not from the rhetoric from five years ago. So, after careful consideration, I have come to the difficult decision that implementing the planned congestion pricing system risks too many unintended consequences for New Yorkers at this time. For that reason, I have directed the MTA to indefinitely pause the program.”
Not on June 30 it won’t.
In a surprise announcement today Governor Hochul announced a pause on the Congestion Pricing scheme that was scheduled to take effect on June 30. The indefinite pause follows the installation of license plate readers in Manhattan programmed to charge car drivers $15 (see all toll charges listed here) when they went below 60th Street. The program was designed to reduce the number of vehicles in Midtown/Downtown while raising revenues to improve and expand mass transit options. The Governor cited affordability in explaining her decision. Whether or when the license plate readers will be activated, disabled, or removed was not addressed in the announcement, nor were the privacy implications the devices pose.
Source: MTA
“Let’s be real: a $15 charge may not mean a lot to someone who has the means, but it can break the budget of a working- or middle-class household. It puts the squeeze on the very people who make this City go: the teachers, first responders, small business workers, bodega owners. And given these financial pressures, I cannot add another burden to working- and middle-class New Yorkers – or create another obstacle to continued recovery.”
The announcement came just as MTA webinars were about to begin.
The Governor, while pausing the Congestion Pricing Program and its associated revenue stream, promised to fund mass transit needs anyway.
“We remain fully committed to advancing all the improvements that New Yorkers have been promised. That includes immediate investments in reliability and accessibility: track repairs, new signals, adding more elevators at subway and commuter stations. It means security cameras and other technologies to improve safety for riders throughout the system. And it means moving forward with transformative projects, like the extension of the Second Avenue Subway and the Interborough Express.”
Hochul made the surprise announcement today.
Inwood’s NYS Assembly Member Manny De Los Santos said, “Leadership is about doing the right thing — even when tough. That’s why I’m so glad Governor Hochul is standing up for low- and middle-income families by pausing congestion pricing. With inflation higher than it’s been in a generation, New Yorkers can’t afford yet another hit to our wallets. Thank you Governor Hochul for your thoughtful, respectful approach.”
Congestion Pricing is paused until further notice.