(The Center Square) — President Donald Trump is facing bipartisan calls to put the brakes on New York City’s congestion pricing program, with Republicans and Democrats arguing that the higher tolls are hurting the region’s businesses and commuters.
In a letter to Trump, U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., and other New York officials on both sides of the political aisle said many of their constituents will not benefit from the transportation upgrades promised by the new tax, but are still paying the higher costs to drive to Manhattan every day.
“This tax is yet another cash grab that is expected to funnel $1 billion annually to a mismanaged and bloated agency that has treated New York commuters as bottomless ATMs,” they wrote. “As you have also previously expressed, this congestion fee will hurt our city’s economy and the working families we collectively represent.”
The letter, which was also signed by New York City Council members and state lawmakers, suggests that the project didn’t undergo a thorough analysis of its scale and impact and called for an environmental impact study to be conducted.
“Requiring an EIS will ensure the full impact of this congestion tax can be thoroughly assessed, particularly how redirected traffic and pollution will affect the quality of life in the neighborhoods we represent,” they wrote.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, is also urging Trump to cancel the congestion pricing program. He says the surcharge on drivers has been a “disaster” for commuters and residents in his state who commute to New York City for work.
“And adding insult to injury, New Jersey communities are not being fully compensated for the additional traffic and attendant pollution that will be rerouted to them because of congestion pricing,” he wrote in a letter to Trump on Monday.
Murphy said the congestion pricing program “has never been well designed or adequately studied” and accused New York officials of making “significant” changes to the program before they “secretly rushed them through federal approvals.” He pointed out that on the campaign trail, Trump, a native New Yorker, pledged to “terminate” the program when he took over the presidency.
New York’s ‘first-in-the-nation’ toll for drivers entering Manhattan’s Congestion Relief Zone during peak hours got underway on Jan. 5 after a U.S. District Court judge denied New Jersey’s last-ditch push to keep the plan from going into effect.
Under the program, passenger cars pay a $9 toll between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays and between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends. There are exemptions for emergency vehicles, including ambulances, fire trucks, police cars and other government vehicles. Residents with a household income of less than $60,000 can apply for a tax credit.
New York officials say the toll will reduce tailpipe pollution and drum up more funding for the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates New York City’s fleet of buses, trains and subway cars.
Gov. Kathy Hochul abruptly hit the brakes on congestion pricing in June, citing the impact on commuters forced to pay higher tolls. It also came ahead of an election when Democratic House candidates fought for reelection in battleground states.
Hochul resurrected the plan days after the Nov. 5 elections with a reduced base fare of $9 – down from the initial plan of $15. The new tolls will hit $15 by 2031, according to the Hochul administration.
