New York legislators corner Hochul by rejecting congestion pricing without offering alternatives
Atus/1177581335303493632″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener” title>Hochul’s backtracking, members of the state legislature, including Brooklyn Democrats Sens. Andrew Gounardes and Kevin Parker, argued her reversal jeopardized the region’s economic health, a concern Hochul didn’t appear to {{Be a change}}embrace shortly before she< a href="/media-central/nyc_commuter_chaos/index.html">was inaugurated on Tuesday.
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York is facing backlash after her last-minute decision to backtrack on a plan for congestion pricing in Manhattan. This plan was designed to raise funds for the city’s subway and bus systems by charging drivers entering the core business district. Hochul’s reversal has led to the cancellation of legislative plans to fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, leaving lawmakers scrambling to find an alternative source of funding. Some legislators, including Brooklyn Democrats, have expressed concern over the potential consequences for the region’s economic health. Hochul’s change of heart has caused controversy and raised questions about her commitment to addressing transportation issues in NYC.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) is facing the repercussions of her reversal on congestion pricing as Albany lawmakers scrap plans to fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins announced the decision on Friday, saying legislators would end their session without a deal. Her comments are a response to Hochul’s abrupt withdrawal from a plan designed to raise funds to improve the city’s subway and bus systems by charging drivers entering Manhattan’s core business district.
Hochul originally agreed to the tolling proposal but angered lawmakers when she changed her mind at the eleventh hour and after the MTA had purchased $500 million of equipment for tolling.
Her actions left Stewart-Cousins and Albany lawmakers scrambling to work out an alternative to replace the $1 billion annual funding Hochul’s scrapped transit plan would have raised. After frustrated lawmakers ditched attempts to bail the governor out on Friday, state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said there is still time to vote on a funding replacement before January.
In comments two weeks ago, Hochul praised the program as vital to “making cities more livable.” On Wednesday, Hochul had a change of heart. Amid fears the plan’s unpopularity would hurt Democrats in competitive House elections, she caved to pressure from New Yorkers upset at the plan’s high price tag.
“My team worked in the final hours to find a way to implement this … but hard-working New Yorkers are getting hammered on costs,” Hochul said.
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The congestion pricing plan was unpopular with most New Yorkers, including former President Donald Trump. “Instituting congestion pricing,” Trump said, “is a big incentive not to come [to New York City].”
The toll would have charged passenger and small commercial vehicles $15 during peak hours and $24 to $36 for trucks and buses.
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