In remarks to reporters yesterday afternoon, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and MTA chief Janno Lieber left no doubt about their commitment to preserving the Manhattan congestion pricing program. Hochul challenged the legality of USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy’s recission of FHWA approval for congestion zone tolling and pointedly questioned President Trump’s motives for instigating Duffy’s action. The tolling system will remain in full operation while a court challenge filed by MTA takes place, she said. The governor characterized the state-federal contest as a fight “for our residents, our commuters, our riders, our drivers, our emergency personnel. Life has gotten better [following the program’s implementation] for those who have asthma. People with illness. That’s who we’re fighting for.”
Mr. Lieber noted that within minutes of receiving word of Duffy’s decision, “we responded with a lawsuit which says number one, we’re seeking a declaratory judgment that this is not proper, and number two, we’re not turning off the tolls until there’s a verdict.” Earlier in his remarks he forcefully stated, “New York ain’t going back. We tried gridlock for 60 years. It didn’t work. It cost our economy billions. But you know what’s helping our economy? What’s making New York a better place? Congestion pricing.” He elaborated on the point, firing off data points about improvements since January in mobility, traffic safety, theatre and restaurant patronage, taxi business, and commercial office leasing.
The New York Times reports that “congestion pricing lives on for now as the M.T.A. and federal transportation officials prepare to battle over it in court,” a fight that could take months or years to resolve. MTA’s swift legal action to thwart yesterday’s USDOT determination allows tolling to continue indefinitely. The status quo could change, however, even before a court ruling adverse to New York. “”[T]he federal government could threaten to withhold funding for other New York programs and projects until congestion pricing is stopped. It would not be the first instance of such threats. In the 1980s, federal officials briefly threatened to withhold approval and funding for the rehabilitation of the Williamsburg Bridge over safety issues, including whether its lanes were too narrow, according to Samuel I. Schwartz, a former city traffic commissioner.”
WPIX also reports on the MTA legal action that will keep tolling in effect for now.