When is congestion pricing coming to New York?

New York City’s aging subway system was slated to receive hundreds of millions of dollars for upgrades this year – a boon that had been badly needed even before the coronavirus pandemic decimated ridership and finances of the system.

But the fate of a congestion pricing plan to help pay for the works has been clouded by the fall of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, whose resignation has cast doubt on the management of the largest transit agency in the country. country and its program.

It was Mr. Cuomo who in 2019, after years of resistance, pushed New York City to become the first American city to adopt congestion pricing – the imposition of fees on drivers entering the busiest areas of the city. Manhattan, from 60th Street to the drums. The plan, which was expected to bring in $ 1 billion a year to fund public transportation in the New York City area, was seen as both a bold challenge to the country’s entrenched automotive culture and a way to build a transportation network. in common in the 21st century.

Today, congestion pricing is one of a handful of Mr. Cuomo’s crucial transportation projects that remain unfinished and are the responsibility of his successor, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, including the construction of the next section of the Second Metro. Avenue in Manhattan and the modernization of the Pennsylvania train station. and Kennedy International Airport.

Ms Hochul has yet to say whether she intends to support congestion pricing. She comes from the western part of the state where residents rely much more on the car than on public transportation and are generally hostile to the new taxes and charges.

His spokesperson said on Sunday evening that the future governor was considering his position on the issue. “Lt. Gov. Hochul has supported congestion pricing in the past, but the pace and timing is something she will need to assess further given the ever-evolving impact of Covid-19 on commuters,” said she declared.

As governor, Ms. Hochul will control the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the largest transit agency in North America, which operates the subway, buses and two commuter trains.

The MTA is struggling to attract more runners and faces a precarious financial future despite an influx of federal pandemic aid that has temporarily stabilized its operations.

“This transition to Albany comes at a time of crisis for our subways and buses,” said Betsy Plum, executive director of Riders Alliance, an advocacy group. “Public transport must be high on Governor Hochul’s busy agenda from day one.”

Congestion pricing was seen as the answer to the city’s transit needs when state lawmakers cleared the policy in 2019 – the biggest opportunity we’ve had.

He also pledged to ease the city’s traffic jam and reduce climate pollution from vehicle emissions. Traffic will almost certainly get worse when the city fully reopens and commuters and visitors return in greater numbers. Crossings of major bridges and tunnels to New York from New Jersey have already reached about 98% of pre-pandemic levels, according to toll data.

Even before Mr. Cuomo resigned, the plan was taking significantly longer than expected to be implemented.

Critics questioned whether the governor, who planned to run again next year, was slowing down its implementation to avoid angering voters in the suburbs. Mr. Cuomo, in turn, blamed the federal government, which must give final approval, for the delays.

“The state adopted it; the MTA can adopt it, ”Cuomo said in a recent speech. “The federal government just has to approve it. It doesn’t cost them a dime. Approve it, but approve it now.

Andy Byford, the former subway chief who left the MTA after clashing with Mr Cuomo, said he was baffled by the delays in rolling out congestion pricing, especially as the administration Trump, who hadn’t done much to advance the plan, was no longer in Power.

“I am perplexed and disappointed that New York still has no congestion charge in place as the apparent barriers now appear to be removed,” said Mr Byford, who now manages the metro and bus system in London, which brought in congestion pricing 18 years ago.

Even if congestion pricing gets Ms. Hochul’s backing, it could take another two years before it starts.

Before tolls can begin, the MTA must complete a federally mandated environmental assessment of the congestion pricing plan, which will examine its potential impact on traffic, air quality and the city’s economy. and the surrounding area. The plan can go ahead if federal officials determine that it does not create a significant negative environmental impact.

The MTA plans to announce this month that the environmental review is expected to last 16 months, MTA officials said.

The agency is also to appoint a six-member traffic mobility review committee to recommend how much drivers should pay to enter the congestion zone and approve any credits, discounts, or exemptions, although the MTA has the last word on the recommendations of his committee. . Members will include one recommended by the Mayor of New York City and one from each of the regions served by its two suburban railways.

The federal government has asked the MTA to develop a particularly demanding public education plan that includes low-income and minority communities and tribal nations.

Across the Hudson River, Governor Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey, a Democrat with close ties to the Biden administration, is among that state’s elected officials who have openly criticized the tolls, which could strongly affect residents of New Jersey. Mr. Murphy is running for a second term in November.

The delay has some critics hoping congestion pricing will never materialize.

“I hope he dies the death of a thousand cuts,” said City Councilor Joseph Borelli, a Republican from Staten Island, who called the congestion pricing a bad and unpopular policy that would benefit Manhattan at the expense of citizens. residents of other boroughs and suburbs who rely on their cars.

MTA officials said congestion pricing was initially delayed for 20 months by the Trump administration, which said it determined the level of environmental review needed, but also did not seem inclined to help. local Democratic leaders.

Nancy Singer, spokeswoman for the Federal Highway Administration, said the agency made a key decision on the environmental review process just two months after the start of the Biden administration. “The goal is to get it right and make sure this process works for the community,” she said.

In recent weeks, Mayor Bill de Blasio, who himself was a slow convert to congestion pricing, blamed the MTA

“Once the Biden administration unlocked the process, the MTA should have kicked in,” said Mitch Schwartz, spokesperson for Mr. de Blasio. “Instead, more than four months later, the environmental review is barely underway and the state has yet to form the Traffic Mobility Review.”

Ken Lovett, a spokesperson for the MTA, said transit officials had “worked aggressively behind the scenes to move the project forward,” including discussing with federal officials how to conduct the environmental review.

But Samuel I. Schwartz, a former city traffic commissioner who supports congestion pricing, said he believed the process could be faster and that the real obstacle was the concern of traffic officials. State that they could face a backlash from voters in next year’s election.

“As a cynic, I suspect there is a lot of blocking,” Mr. Schwartz said. “There is no plan, and even without a plan, there is quite a bit of shouting about it.”

The result is that the transit system will lose a billion dollars in projected revenue for each year that goes without a congestion plan, and there will be no relief from traffic or pollution.

“The longer we delay congestion pricing, we deny New Yorkers the benefits promised with congestion pricing,” said Andrew Rein, chairman of the Citizens Budget Commission, a government watchdog group that recently released recommendations. on congestion pricing.

Projected congestion pricing revenues would be used to secure $ 15 billion in bonds for transit projects and are the largest source of funding for MTA’s $ 51 billion investment plan, which includes the modernization of metro signals, the modernization of stations and the purchase of new rail cars and buses. .

The MTA said the delay in congestion pricing will not immediately affect the investment plan, as the agency has enough money to move projects forward at the moment.

If congestion pricing is applied, its toll system will be operated and maintained by TransCore, a private Nashville-based company, which in October 2019 won a $ 507 million MTA contract to design, build and operate the equipment. and the infrastructure of the toll system. The company has already started a preliminary design of the system and tested various equipment and technologies.

Once the plan receives federal approval, TransCore has up to 310 days to begin tolls in Manhattan.

Eddie Bautista, executive director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, which represents low-income communities of color exposed to trafficking and pollution, said the MTA should move faster, including appointing the review committee of the traffic.

“Why is congestion pricing lagging behind when we have the ability to move it faster? ” he said. “Every day late means people’s lives are on the line.”

Mr. Cuomo’s fall has now added new uncertainty.

“I am concerned that the current political turmoil in New York will only exacerbate the delay and lack of focus on the implementation of the congestion charge,” Mr Byford said.