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PANYNJ Touts Record Results Of Crackdown On Toll Scofflaws And Ghost Car Drivers

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The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) announced yesterday “its aggressive effort to crack down on toll evaders yielded record results in 2024, including more than 7,000 [toll evasion-related] summonses issued across its six bridges and tunnels, which was a jump of 27 percent from 2023.” More than three-quarters of the summonses were for license plate violations. In addition to writing the thousands of tickets, authority police and partner law enforcement officers, aided by “advanced technology to identify, track and intercept persistent toll violators,” made 90 toll-evasion-related arrests for charges including theft of services and fictitious plates, as well as 106 arrests for non-toll-related offenses during toll enforcement operations, and impounded 850 vehicles with suspended registrations.

Using its criminal and civil enforcement powers, PANYNJ recovered $18 million in unpaid tolls and administrative fees last year. Its announcement included a list of the 10 people and businesses ordered to pay PANYNJ the largest civil judgment awards during 2024.

PANYNJ chair Kevin O’Toole commented, “This unprecedented total of more than 7,000 summonses . . . is due in large part to the tireless work of our law enforcement along with the advanced technologies and novel strategies we’ve implemented to make sure everyone is paying their fair share on our roads. Anyone thinking about ignoring their toll bill or tacking on a fake license plate should know that our officers are ready to hold you accountable.”

Swift Legal Action Keeps Congestion Pricing In Effect For Now

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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.

Florida’s Turnpike Schedules Public Hearing On Mainline Widening Proposal

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In an announcement dated February 13 that wasn’t posted online until today, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) gave notice of two public hearings on a proposal to widen the turnpike mainline (SR 91) from SR 70 to SR 60 in St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee and Osceola counties. A virtual hearing took place yesterday. An in-person session is scheduled for tomorrow evening, February 20, at the Intergenerational Recreation Center in Vero Beach. Details are included in the belated announcement.

According to a project website, FTE is conducting a project development and environment study based on its identification of a need to widen the turnpike segment. The proposed expansion “will accommodate future traffic volumes of freight and passenger vehicles linked to the projected growth in population and industry for the year 2045.” Additional information can be found in a virtual public meeting exhibit room linked to the website.

Federal Announcement About Congestion Pricing Faces Swift And Vigorous Response

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The New York Times reports, after receiving word that USDOT is revoking approval of MTA congestion pricing, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued a statement supporting the program’s goals and early accomplishments that added, “We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. The MTA has initiated legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York to preserve this critical program. We’ll see you in court.”

Her comment about kingship was a retort to a provocative social media message dispatched by President Trump: “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”

Other early reactions to USDOT Secretary Duffy’s recission announcement were, as reported in The Times, predictable. Supporters of the project suggested the federal action was unprecedented and illegal and would be overturned in court. Transit advocates “expressed outrage.” Members of Congress who opposed tolling from the outset emphasized that Trump held to an election campaign pledge to remove a burden on “hardworking, taxpaying commuters.”

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber released a brief statement shortly after Secretary Duffy’s letter became public. He confirmed that the agency has already filed pleadings in federal court to ensure that tolling will continue “notwithstanding this baseless effort to snatch those benefits away from the millions of mass transit users, pedestrians and, especially, the drivers who come to the Manhattan Central Business District.” He added, “It’s mystifying that after four years and 4,000 pages of federally-supervised environmental review – and barely three months after giving final approval to the Congestion Relief Program – USDOT would seek to totally reverse course.”

NJ.com reports that Trump and Duffy have “ignit[ed] a firestorm” and “sparked major backlash from state and local officials” in New York. Comments from lawmakers representing the city — mostly Democrats — echoed predictions that the courts will eventually invalidate the Trump administration’s attempt to halt the program.

Gothamist and amNY are also covering this controversy’s early developments.

USDOT Secretary Rescinds FHWA Approval Of MTA Congestion Pricing Program

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The Trump administration moved to end the MTA congestion pricing program this afternoon.

In a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy stated he is terminating FHWA approval of the program and FHWA officials will be in contact with state authorities “to discuss the orderly cessation of toll operations under this terminated pilot project.”

Formally, Duffy rescinded the November 2024 Value Pricing Pilot Program (VPPP) agreement among state and federal agencies that authorized initiation of the tolling initiative. He stated that an evaluation of the program he conducted at Trump’s direction led him to conclude that it “exceeds the authority authorized by Congress under VPPP” for two reasons. First, it deprives motorists of any toll-free access to the Manhattan congestion zone. Secondly, the primary motivation for tolling appears to be revenue generation rather than congestion reduction. Duffy acknowledged that he took into consideration public concerns raised by Trump and legal issues raised by New Jersey’s governor and other litigants challenging FHWA and MTA in court.

For the most part, Duffy’s letter is a formal, legalistic explanation for his action. Not so the accompanying news release. In it, the secretary calls the program “a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners” who are required to pay tolls to use Manhattan infrastructure they have already financed with their taxes. It “leaves drivers without any free highway alternative, and instead, takes more money from working people to pay for a transit system and not highways. It’s backwards and unfair.” He adds, “Every American should be able to access New York City regardless of their economic means. It shouldn’t be reserved for an elite few.”

MTA immediately filed a challenge to Duffy’s decision in federal court.