President Trump moves to end congestion pricing
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she’s not backing down from New York City congestion pricing, even after the Trump administration moved to end the toll. FOX 5 Ny’s Hayley Fixler has the latest details.
NEW YORK – President Donald Trump’s administration is set to kill New York City’s new congestion pricing toll, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
In a fiery press conference at Grand Central Terminal, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul responded to the news, saying, “I’m here to say New York hasn’t labored under a king in over 250 years,” and added, “we sure as hell are not gonna start now.”
She continued on to say, “In case you don’t know New Yorkers, we do not back down, not now, not ever,”–making clear that “the cameras are staying on,” despite what she called Trump’s “attempt” to end congestion pricing.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in a fiery press conference at Grand Central Terminal, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul responded to Trump moving to kill congestion pricing. “I’m here to say New York hasn’t labored under a king in over 250 years,” adding, “we s
Hochul also stated that if congestion pricing were to be halted, “the next time you’re stuck in traffic…you’ll know who to blame,” as she held up a cover of TIME magazine featuring Trump.
What we know:
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, informing her that the DOT’s Federal Highway Administration would terminate the approval of the controversial program.
The department said it rescinded a Nov. 21 agreement signed under the Value Pricing Pilot Program, effectively ending NYC’s authority to impose the toll.
Trump administration moves to end congestion pricing
The Trump administration appears to be pulling the plug on congestion pricing. FOX 5 NY’s Antwan Lewis has the details.
Duffy called the toll, impacting drivers in Manhatta’s business district, a “slap in the face” to working class Ameericans and small business owners.
“As detailed in the letter, the Secretary is terminating the pilot for two reasons,” the DOT detailed in a press release. “First, the scope of the CBDTP is unprecedented and provides no toll-free option for many drivers who want or need to travel by vehicle in this major urbanized area. Second, the toll rate was set primarily to raise revenue for transit, rather than at an amount needed to reduce congestion. By doing so, the pilot runs contrary to the purpose of the VPPP, which is to impose tolls for congestion reduction – not transit revenue generation.
What is congestion pricing?
The backstory:
NYC’s congestion pricing program, launched in January, imposes a $9 toll on most drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street.
The landmark initiative was designed to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and raise funds for much-needed public transit upgrades, although critics have said it is just one more unfair cost to commuters to fund the MTA.
What they’re saying:
Trump has repeatedly criticized congestion pricing, claiming that it’s hurting businesses. He called these $9 tolls to get into the Central Business District “destructive to New York.”
The other side:
MTA Chair Janno Lieber rebuked the actions of the US DOT, calling it “mystifying.”
“Today, the MTA filed papers in federal court to ensure that the highly successful program – which has already dramatically reduced congestion, bringing reduced traffic and faster travel times, while increasing speeds for buses and emergency vehicles – 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 said in a statement.
The Source: This article uses reporting from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the New York Post.
