NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Two U.S. lawmakers from New York and New Jersey announced Wednesday that they’ve created an Anti-Congestion Tax Caucus, which they said will lead a federal bipartisan effort to combat New York’s congestion pricing plan for vehicles entering Manhattan.
Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer said they’ll introduce legislation with the goal of scrapping the plan altogether, calling congestion pricing a “cash grab” by the transit authority.
“We want to see this thing dead,” Malliotakis said at a news conference with Gottheimer at the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel.
The caucus plans to push for a full environmental impact statement of the plan.
“We believe it would have a detrimental impact on surrounding neighborhoods,” Malliotakis said.
The group would also seek an audit of the billions of dollars the MTA has received in federal assistance.
“There needs to be an appropriate federal oversight and increased accountability of the MTA,” Gottheimer said. “And their questionable uses of billions in federal funds they’ve received.”
Congestion pricing, initially projected to start in 2021, won’t begin until the spring 2024 at the earliest because of delays in the federal approval.
It’s essentially a toll on drivers entering the clogged streets of Manhattan below 60th Street. The MTA said it will raise $1 billion a year for much-needed mass transit improvements while cutting down on air pollution and traffic in the borough’s busiest neighborhoods.
Drivers could pay anywhere from $9 to $23 to enter Manhattan’s so-called “Central Business District” by car on a weekday between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Commercial vehicles could pay anywhere from $12 to $82. Off-peak fares would be $7 to $17, while overnights would be $5 to $12, depending on a driver's vehicle, according to tolling scenarios released last summer.
The congestion pricing plan has generally been better received in New York City, where many mass transit riders live, than in the surrounding suburbs, where many commute to the city by car.
Critics have said the plan puts the onus on commuters to fund public transit they may not even use. Opposition also includes many cab and truck drivers.
Supporters, including transit advocates and environmentalists, have pointed to a more livable city with a more reliable and accessible transit system.
Responding to lawmakers’ opposition, MTA spokesman John McCarthy said in a statement: “Yesterday it was reported that New York City has the most traffic congestion of any city across the United States, and incredibly today, we have a congressman from New Jersey trying to make sure those traffic problems remain.”
“The bottom line is reducing car and truck traffic is good for the environment, good for getting fire trucks, buses and delivery vehicles through the city, and good for the 90% of people who depend on mass transit,” McCarthy said.
Danny Pearlstein, of the Riders Alliance, a pro–public transit organization that supports congestion pricing, told WCBS 880 Newsline with Brigitte Quinn on Wednesday that the lawmakers’ opposition to congestion pricing hurts the majority of residents they serve.
“These congressmembers would condemn their constituents,” to gridlock buses and delayed subway service, Pearlstein said.
“They offer no solutions, they are entirely pandering for their own gain,” he said.
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