Hochul Brings Back Congestion Pricing Plan After Months of Suspense
The New York Times
The governor is renewing plans to start the tolling program, but at discounted rates. It is not clear whether the lower tolls could generate the $15 billion needed for mass transit repairs.
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York on Thursday announced the resurrection of a congestion pricing program that would toll drivers who enter the busiest parts of Manhattan starting in January.
Ms. Hochul, who had canceled the tolling plan abruptly in June just weeks before it was scheduled to begin, said that she would salvage it by reducing rates as she sought to appease critics who said the fees were too high.
The retooled congestion pricing plan would charge the drivers of most passenger cars $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street during peak hours, down from the previously approved rate of $15. The new program was scheduled to begin Jan. 5.
At a news conference on Thursday, the governor reiterated her argument that she had halted the original version of congestion pricing because the tolls would be a financial burden on New Yorkers.
“I always have and I always will fight to put more money in the pockets of everyday New Yorkers,” Ms. Hochul said. “That’s why, back in June, I stood up on behalf of hardworking families.”
The reduced tolls would save commuters nearly $1,500 annually, Ms. Hochul said, while also meeting the budget needs of the M.T.A. The $9 toll was expected to stay in place for at least three years, officials said, before possibly being raised. The January start date would allow for a 30-day public review period for the revised plan.
