Day: November 14, 2024

In a display of bipartisan unity, elected leaders from across New York City gathered by the foot of the Verrazano Bridge for a rally against the proposed reinstatement of congestion pricing on Nov. 12. 

The coalition, led by recently-reelected Democratic state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, and including U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Council Member Joe Borelli, and Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, voiced their strong opposition to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to proceed with congestion pricing.

Hochul paused the implementation of congestion pricing — a $15 toll for vehicles entering lower Manhattan — in June, reportedly over fears the program would drive voters away from New York Democrats in the general election. 

But the governor is reportedly considering re-implementing congestion pricing before president-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, and was expected to revive the program — with lower tolls — on Nov. 14. Trump has pledged to “terminate” congestion pricing, and the program requires federal approval. 

The pols who rallied on Tuesday said congestion pricing would disproportionately harm working-class communities outside of Manhattan, burdening already strained pockets and exacerbating pollution and traffic in boroughs like Staten Island, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.

Scarcella-Spanton, who spearheaded the event, pledged ongoing resistance.

“We rallied against it, vocal not only about the financial implications but also the environmental damage,” of the program, she said. 

She promised she and the coalition of opponents would “fight tooth and nail until congestion pricing is dead.”     

Brooklyn Assembly Member Jaime Williams condemned the congestion pricing proposal as a “bait and switch” tactic.

“The governor’s pause on congestion pricing this past June was just a hoax to get through the election … now that the election is over, there seems to be a sudden rush to implement,” she said.

Williams emphasized the impact on “transit desert communities like ours,” and said costs would rise for truckers, merchants, and daily commuters. 

U.S. Reps. Nicole Malliotakis and Mike Lawler expressed their concerns, calling congestion pricing a “scheme” to funnel funds into the MTA. 

Lawler criticized the agency’s mismanagement, noting that congestion pricing would “add $5,000 per year to commuters’ expenses on top of existing tolls and high fuel costs.”  

The program was designed to reduce vehicle traffic and pollution in Manhattan’s most-congested neighborhoods by encouraging drivers to take public transit instead. Toll money collected from the program would fund transit improvements, like accessible subway stations and modern signal tech. 

But opponents say congestion pricing would only further stress working class commuters. 

“Congestion pricing is nothing more than a scheme to squeeze more money out of New Yorkers,” Malliotakis said. “This isn’t about reducing traffic; it’s about funding a mismanaged and bloated MTA at the expense of hard-working families.”

Malliotakis further exclaimed that, “while the MTA loses nearly $700 million annually due to fare evasion, its everyday drivers are being targeted and now looking to residents for a bailout.”  

Borelli, meanwhile, said the MTA has neglected Staten Island, citing failures to provide equitable transit options while continuing to increase tolls and fares.

 “The MTA has failed to deliver public transit, but now they’ll charge us for relying on the only means of transportation they’ve given us,” he said.

 In closing, Scarcella-Spanton urged the governor to maintain the pause on congestion pricing indefinitely: “This is our fight, and we will keep standing up to ensure that the voices of our communities are heard. New Yorkers are fed up, and they will continue to make that clear.”

$4 MILLION IN UPGRADES HAVE MADE drastic improvements to the oldest bike path in the country, the Ocean Parkway Malls bike path.

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