Senator James Skoufis, Senator Rob Rolison, and Assemblymembers Chris Eachus, Aileen Gunther, Brian Maher, and Karl Brabenec have joined a lawsuit to block the MTA’s ‘congestion pricing’ proposal. The agency’s plan would impose a $15 toll on passenger cars traveling into midtown and lower Manhattan, in addition to existing bridge and highway tolls. This would disproportionately affect Orange County commuters who are without viable public transit options.
“Orange County residents pay similar if not identical MTA fees and taxes as other, highly-serviced areas,” Skoufis said, “yet we only have one single, sporadically operating train line for the over 400,000 residents in the county. Between the George Washington Bridge and this new toll, $30 for the ‘privilege’ of driving into Manhattan when my constituents do not have a mass transit alternative is outright theft.”
Congestion pricing is a direct and unjust restriction on our rights to travel to NYC for work, education, or recreation,” Eachus said. “This amounts to triple taxing our commuters just for entering the city; through bridge tolls, the disastrous MTA payroll tax, and now this misguided congestion pricing scheme. Simply put, this is another in a long list of attempts by the New York City-run MTA to rectify its glaring self-inflicted budget gaps at the expense of working-class citizens who help their hospitals run, offices stay staffed, and streets stay safe.”
The lawsuit, which features the legislators as plaintiffs, is being filed by the United Federation of Teachers and argues the MTA’s proposal would inflict environmental and economic damage on many New York residents.
Congestion price hearing
Have thoughts on NYC’s planned congestion pricing? Congressman Pat Ryan will hold a Congestion Pricing Hearing, open to the public, on Saturday, Feb. 17 from 1:30-3 p.m. at the Cornwall-on-Hudson Village Hall (325 Hudson St., Cornwall-on-Hudson.
It will be co-hosted by Cornwall-on-Hudson Mayor James Gagliano and Cornwall Supervisor Josh Wojehowski and other local officials are expected.
