The ongoing debate around New York City’s congestion pricing is intensifying as Gov. Kathy Hochul signals a desire to move forward with a reduced toll, while opposition from a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Staten Island officials, denounces the plan. Hochul has proposed lowering the toll from the initially suggested $15 to $9, but the opposition disputes the plan as a bail-out for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) financial mismanagement.
CBS News
reported state and city lawmakers’ concerns, with Rep. Nicole Malliotakis urging the governor to prioritize spending, and Rep. Mike Lawler criticizing the high living costs in New York as a driving factor in the migration out of the state.
According to
CBS News
, the opposition contends that the congestion pricing will unjustly burden taxpayers and that the governor should listen to the will of the people who, according to Malliotakis, are largely against the congestion tax. To seemingly compound these concerns, a recent Siena College poll indicated that 59% of New York voters would prefer to scrap the congestion pricing scheme entirely.
Furthermore, the gridlock over congestion pricing is on the brink of a resolution, as most approvals have apparently been secured. The last signature necessary from State Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez, a Hochul appointee, seems all but assured. Documents from the feds and city officials have already been signed, as per sources cited by
CBS News
. With the congestion pricing plan nearing approval, opponents like Malliotakis vow “to look at every possible angle to fight it legislatively and legally.”
Despite the widespread opposition, which is not limited by party lines or geographical area, Gov. Hochul’s stance on this matter remains unmoved. The governor’s favorability has not seen significant improvement, as indicated by the latest Siena College poll results. The numbers show that New Yorkers’ view toward Hochul has stayed roughly around the same low levels, with 39% viewing her favorably and 50% unfavorably, not far off from the 38% favorability she had in June, as
The New York Post
reported.
Advocates for the congestion pricing argue that the growing opposition might be driven by a “disinformation campaign,” with Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director at the Riders Alliance, accusing Gov. Hochul of making public policy on funding transit and environmental concerns harder. In contrast, Corey Bearak from New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax describes the plan as “economy-killing,” suggesting it would raise the cost of living for all New Yorkers, not just drivers, as detailed by
The New York Post
.
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