Statement attributable to Tom Wright, President and CEO at Regional Plan Association (RPA).
Since Governor Hochul paused congestion pricing on June 5th, it has become even clearer that there is no better way to simultaneously fund critical investments in New York’s mass transit, reduce vehicle emissions, and deliver congestion relief for residents and businesses in the city and region. These legal complaints correctly argue that New York law instructed the MTA to implement congestion pricing. The policy should move forward as quickly as possible.
The vast majority of workers in Manhattan use mass transit for their daily commute and would have benefited from this policy. As the MTA looks for ways to make up the $16.5 billion dollar gap in its capital plan that Governor Hochul’s pause created, further delay threatens to hurt transit riders who would have benefited from much-needed system maintenance and repairs; modern subway signals to increase capacity and safety; accessibility improvements at 23 subway and two LIRR stations; new electric buses and subway cars; and climate mitigation improvements for environmental justice communities.
Congestion pricing was approved after an intense public outreach and consultation process that demonstrated strong support from across the entire city and region. Testimony during this process ran two-to-one in favor of the policy.
For all these reasons, we support the lawsuits initiated by Riders Alliance, Sierra Club, and NYC Environmental Justice Alliance and their members and call on Governor Hochul to lift the pause and reinstate the congestion pricing tolling program as quickly as possible.
