New Jersey senators push back on congestion pricing
Why it matters
The toll program, which would be the first of its kind in the country, aims to reduce traffic by making drivers pay to enter the busiest parts of Manhattan.
Many transportation advocates, community leaders, and urban planning experts in New York this month celebrated the progress made on congestion charging, saying it was long overdue.
The loudest opposition to the program comes from New Jersey. Mr. Menendez and Mr. Booker have joined their state’s governor, Phil Murphy, a Democrat, and several members of the House of Representatives in speaking out against the plan, including Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who is one of the country’s most ardent critics. has been, and Representative Mikie Sherrill, who called it “an unfair blow to New Jersey families.”
Specifically The Star Ledger of Newark published an editorial on Sunday admonishing state politicians for trying to stop what the editors described as “a monumental step in the fight to save the environment.”
Background
Mr. Murphy has threatened legal action if the plan goes ahead, and last year took his case directly to President Biden, complaining about the added cost to drivers and the inability of the state’s existing public transportation infrastructure, New York City. Jersey Transit and the PATH. train, to handle additional riders.
Mr. Murphy on Monday also unveiled an advertising campaign criticism of the program, complete with billboards at intersections.
Other opponents of congestion pricing include cab drivers, and Lyft and Uber drivers, who worry that fare increases due to the tolls could reduce demand for taxis and rental rides by as much as 17 percent.
What’s next
The MTA announced this on Friday that gives the clearest picture of how much the tolls could cost and who might be saved from paying.
The Federal Highway Administration has tentatively approved the plan, and the public now has until June 12 to judge the report — which runs tens of thousands of pages — before the federal government finally approves the document, paving the way for the MTA to come up with tolls.
Once that happens, the MTA says the program, which would affect drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street, could begin as early as spring 2024.
Tracey Tully reporting contributed.