A day after Gov. Kathy Hochul said “now is not the right time” for congestion pricing, she reaffirmed her support for implementing the long-delayed plan to toll vehicles entering Manhattan — eventually.
Hochul scrambled to emphasize Wednesday that she stands behind a program designed to fund mass transit upgrades and reduce traffic after saying at a Democratic gubernatorial debate the night before that it is “not going to happen over the next year under any circumstances.”
MTA officials, who previously acknowledged a potential two-year delay until 2023 and last month blamed federal nitpicking for a slowdown, said they are “fully committed” to congestion and are “aggressively working” through the process.
“While extensive questions from the federal government are causing delays, the governor directed her team to work closely with the federal government to provide responses as quickly as possible and keep the process moving forward,” Hazel Crampton-Hays, a spokesperson for Hochul, said Wednesday.
The state legislature approved congestion pricing in 2019 — after a 2008 push by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg failed in Albany — but the rollout has been slowed repeatedly, with Hochul and her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, pinning the problems on Washington.
The vehicle-tolling plan is being counted on by the MTA to help fund a significant chunk of the agency’s ambitious 2020-2024 Capital Program to maintain and expand the sprawling transit system.
But the delays are “unacceptable,” said Hayley Richardson of TransitCenter, a research and advocacy organization.
“It’s become increasingly clear to us that the delay has to do with Governor Hochul’s concerns about being elected,” Richardson said. “There’s a lot of sentiments out there that this is policial suicide, and that is incorrect.
“Congestion pricing is unpopular when you look at it before implementation,” she added. “When it is implemented, things turn dramatically around.”
29 comments:
Now she's pandering to the right wing extremists, the car lobby and the oil and gas industry. Pathetic.
What a stupid idea. Congestion pricing is beloved by lunatics, freaks and psychopaths. Of course, they cite Haley Richardson of TransitCenter, a totally objective source!
Take a look at her picture. She screams "delusional lunatic" right down to her nose ring. If she was around in the 70s she'd be teaming up with Patty Hearst and the SLA. She's that kind of nut job.
“When it is implemented, things turn dramatically around.”
The Clown is avoiding losing votes from the hard working Sheeple make no mistake about it.
NYC is already unlivibly expensive, and now inflation is everywhere. Now is not the time to institute yet another regressive tax.
Totally illegal scam by an unelected fraud puppet.
The car totalitarians and their backers have the corporate power to block any rational move to limit traffic to Manhattan.
Socialism = Misery and Poverty for all but the elites.
She is a clown.
DeSantis is the BEST GOVERNOR EVER..........
DeSantis CRUSHES Legacy Media Like a BOSS!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FshP3LaxeWc&ab_channel=Dr.SteveTurley
Bugs Bunny says
Whatta maroon. Her TA/New Green Deal commies will not give up, trust me.
@“ DeSantis is the BEST GOVERNOR EVER......”
Typical hero worshiping right wing Sheeple.
Typical hero worshiping right wing Sheeple.
Some of the stupidest people on this planet are the NY and CA demonrats.
You are the textbook example of this stupidity on this forum.
Well done Adolf.
@The car totalitarians and their backers have the corporate power to block any rational move to limit traffic to Manhattan.
Demonrat, the same suits who finance your tricycle lunacy?
You know the ones who worry about your carbon footprint (soon to be measured and taxed) while traveling to Davos on their private jets?
Man, grow some balls and face reality.
For all the Bidet Bot Avatars
https://twitter.com/i/status/1534952372212047872
https://twitter.com/i/status/1535116356215099392
Adolf from TA, why don't you call them TrumpTurds?
To their face that is.
"NYC is already unlivibly expensive, and now inflation is everywhere. Now is not the time to institute yet another regressive tax"
Is actually a lock down.
Once again, the city has never submitted a plan which PRICES congestion according to the (very Republican) federal law, but PENALIZES ALL drivers, regardless of congestion. Real congestion pricing would charge you for congesting, and given automated tolling like E Pass could be easily implemented in real time. Charge increasingly more when there is congestion. But not only cars, transit too (remember off peak?) to incent employers to stagger hours and genuinely reduce congestion. Further: Cross harbor freight tunnel (LI-NJ) would cut 1/3 congestion. At least one cross town tunnel. Night time deliveries where there are no underground freight bays (no, don't penalize stores, but their landlords). Road construction at night. Pedestrian over or underpasses at major intersections. Use subways and other underground equipment to move garbage pile ups. Use concentric circles of congestion: outer streets like FDR and West Side Highway should be freely accessible for conventions. Construction street closure fees should be less if the closures are already caused by adjacent construction but much higher if they also close the other side of the street, ie, penalise them by how they congest and confuse pedestrian as well as vehicular traffic.
@“ Socialism = Misery and Poverty for all but the elites.”
What’s congestion pricing got to do with Socialism?
@“ She is a clown.
DeSantis is the BEST GOVERNOR EVER..........”
As I said before, right wing Sheeple need a hero figure like Shiny Suit DeSantis or TrumpTurd to worship, because they can’t think for themselves.
Prove me wrong …
Question:
Why do right wing politicians have to “Dumb Down” their message to the their Sheeple?
If you’re a right wing nut, your brain is probably going into overdrive right about now.
Sad …
@What’s congestion pricing got to do with Socialism?
Nothing for you Adolf. Move along. When you grow up...you'll understand.
@As I said before, right wing Sheeple need a hero figure like Shiny Suit DeSantis or TrumpTurd to worship, because they can’t think for themselves.
Worry about your Bot named Bidet. Worship your robot.
@Why do right wing politicians have to “Dumb Down” their message to the their Sheeple?
You hear voices too in your head? Get professional treatment.
Seems like the work of communists to me. There everywhere.
The original congestion pricing plan was very Jack Kemp - put the tax where the cost is,
pay for messing others up. But the car-haters never got that, they don't see the difference between taxing congestion and taxing ANY car.
@"You know the ones who worry about your carbon footprint"
People like you give humans a bad name.
@"Pedestrian over or underpasses at major intersections"
Why? Why not have cars go over or under ? Why should overprivileged car drivers get precedence over pedestrians? Just because someone is sitting in a big chunk of metal shouldn't give them any special rights.
@"Nothing for you Adolf. "
Is that the best you got, he/she/it everyone you disagree with is a "TA commie", troll?
@People like you give humans a bad name.
Or more money to the corrupt politicians and elite overlords.
You give Planet Earth a bead name.
Scam artist that you are.
@“ Scam artist that you are.”
Says Putin sponsored troll.
@everyone you disagree with is a "TA commie", troll?
Only you Adolf. Only you.
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