Posted on 02/19/2025 11:03:25 AM PST by Olog-hai
The U.S. Department of Transportation has pulled its approval for the MTA’s congestion pricing toll program, but the MTA is vowing to take the decision to federal court to ensure the plan will continue.
In a release Wednesday, the DOT’s Federal Highway Administration said it sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul informing her that the department had rescinded the agreement.
“New York State’s congestion pricing plan is a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. “Commuters using the highway system to enter New York City have already financed the construction and improvement of these highways through the payment of gas taxes and other taxes. But now the toll program 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. The program also hurts small businesses in New York that rely on customers from New Jersey and Connecticut. Finally, it impedes the flow of commerce into New York by increasing costs for trucks, which in turn could make goods more expensive for consumer. Every American should be able to access New York City regardless of their economic means. It shouldn’t be reserved for an elite few.” […]
Launched on Jan. 5, the city’s system uses license plate readers to impose a $9 toll on most passenger cars entering Manhattan neighborhoods south of Central Park. In its early days, transit officials say the toll has brought modest but measurable traffic reductions. …
(Excerpt) Read more at abc7ny.com ...
Just say it targets poor minorities therefore it’s racist.
it’s highly unpopular with Gov Hochul championing it.
I assume NY’s congestion pricing plan depends on some kind of Federal aid
Otherwise, why is this a Federal issue?
Suck it libs - you wanted a bloated, printed-money, central-government apparatus. You thought wokeism would forever control the grift. Now you no longer control it.
Now get rid of HOV lanes.
DJT just made NYC a bit Redder
More common sense from this most uncommon President.
“Interstate” tolls which the Federal government has to agree to.
Excellent point. Then it should be revoked.
Otherwise, if it's about the quality of living, they should reject federal aid for this project.
That’s how you play the game and win.
And bike lanes.
The Congestion Charge is a daily fee of £15 for driving within the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ) between 7:00 and 18:00 on weekdays, and between 12:00 and 18:00 on weekends and bank holidays. This policy aims to reduce traffic congestion in central London.
In addition to the Congestion Charge, London enforces the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to combat air pollution. The ULEZ operates 24/7 and covers all of Greater London as of August 2023. Vehicles that do not meet specific emissions standards are subject to a daily charge of £12.50 for most vehicle types, or £100 for heavier vehicles, when driving within the ULEZ.
Despite these measures, London remains Europe's most congested city. In 2024, drivers spent an average of 101 hours in traffic, highlighting ongoing challenges in managing urban congestion.
In other words, it has not had a significant impact on congestion or pollution.
Just say it robs Peter (motor vehicle drivers)
to pay Paul (the wasteful, extravagent, corrupt MTA that is run so poorly that legitimate revenue (train and subway fares) has not been able to pay for the system for decades, requiring additional billions from taxpayers, which has only encourged the MTA to forget about being run well - the politicians will keep robbing the taxpayers to subsidize it).
I’ll defer to locals but afaik if you’re south of the Park - or indeed anywhere south of the north end of Central Park - you can take the Lincoln or Holland tunnel to get to NJ. The only other option to avoid the toll is to drive way up to Washington Heights to take the bridge but that drops you off way north (or vice versa if you’re coming from NJ to NY) and probably adds a lot of commute time on both sides of the Hudson. So yeah seems an unfair tax on commuters from the other states.
Over a half-century of government ownership and nothing good ever came out of it. Said municipal and state government(s) forced the formerly private operators into an artificially low fare (5¢ until 1948, then 10¢ until 1953 when it went up to 15¢) that could not be sustained.
These days Fed money is involved in almost everything.
That is how you generate trillions and trillions of dollars of Federal debt.
It’s probably the interstate aspect.
You know my copy of the constitution doesn’t have anywhere in it the federal government authority nor mandate to regulate tolls on a individual state. This pesky document does however have a very clear written in plain English tenth amendment. That clearly shows that any power not enumerated to the federal government is the sole right of the states. If NYS elected leadership via their elected representatives passed a law and got it signed by the governor it’s not.of the Fing fedzilla’s business what they do it is NYS sovereign land and their state legislature and governorship.
I love how so called conservatives cheer when the federal government steps all over state rights when they don’t like something and scram bloody murder when the same state says hey we are sovereign and other state laws don’t apply here. <<<be glad this is true of NYS and California gun laws would be forced on you red staters it goes both ways. Goose and gander.
“Over a half-century of government ownership and nothing good ever came out of it. Said municipal and state government(s) forced the formerly private operators into an artificially low fare (5¢ until 1948, then 10¢ until 1953 when it went up to 15¢) that could not be sustained.”
Yes. After private compaines built the subways, the pols wanted total control, so they forced the private companies into money losing conditions. Then as the crisis the pols created took hold - the deterioration of the system - they kicked out the private companies and made the subways a government enterprise. Then when the government policies helped kill off the private commuter rail lines to the suburbs, they were made public and then all the rails and subways (other than Amtrak) in and out of New York City were merged into the MTA.
Typical of the fascist, Leftist, progressives - devise policies that create a crisis, so that you can prescribe your true intended policies for the “solution” - government takeover.
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