Former New York Governor David Paterson is not a fan of Manhattan’s plan to launch the nation’s first “congestion pricing” toll on Big Apple drivers.
Speaking on Sunday with John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM’s “Cats Roundtable,” Paterson predicted, “It’s going to be a problem.”
(Audio: Cats Roundtable)
In late June, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the Federal Highway Administration completed the environmental review of the congestion pricing program – “Manhattan Central Business District Tolling” – clearing the way for the program to begin as early as May 2024.
“Congestion pricing will reduce traffic in our crowded downtown, improve air quality and provide critical resources to the MTA [Metropolitan Transportation Authority],” Governor Hochul said at the time. “I am proud of the thorough Environmental Assessment process we conducted, including responding to thousands of comments from community members from across the region. With the green light from the federal government, we look forward to moving ahead with the implementation of this program.”
(Video: YouTube)
The MTA, which will administer the program, has not yet told Manhattan drivers how much they can expect to pay, “it has said it could range from $9 to $23 per day to drive a car in the targeted business district south of 60th Street,” the New York Post reports.
Paterson pointed to the city’s slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and noted, “[T]he biggest problem of all is… its name is ‘congestion pricing.'”
“To have congestion pricing,” he said, “you have to have congestion.”
“We have it every once in a while, but not to the extent that we did before [the pandemic],” the former governor explained. “Because of that, Manhattan… is in an egregious situation, where there’s really no commerce going on in the area, because no one’s coming into the stores, because the buildings are empty and no one is coming to work in the buildings.”
“How are you going to entice them to come if, when they get there, they have to pay $23 to get into the business district?” he asked. “That’s the real argument against it.”
More than a decade ago, then-Mayor Mike Bloomberg proposed congestion pricing, and, at that time, Paterson said he was in favor of the move.
“But the recent problems in terms of the logistics around the city… I wouldn’t be surprised if in two or three years, they [put it up] for reconsideration,” he told Catsimatidis.
Paterson isn’t the only one pushing back against the controversial plan.
As BizPac Review reported, on Friday, the state of New Jersey filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation(DOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), arguing that the federal government’s approval of the plan “violates federal law because the DOT and FHWA failed to evaluate the environmental impact of the proposal” and “failed to address the impact that the congestion pricing plan would have on New Jersey citizens.”
Announcing a Lawsuit to Block New York’s Proposed Congestion Tolling Program https://t.co/V1pDXaJqVp
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) July 21, 2023
“At the MTA’s own admission, its tolling program would divert traffic and shift pollution to many vulnerable New Jersey communities, impacting air quality while offering nothing to mitigate such considerable harm,” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy stated in a press release. “Today we stand as a unified front against this reckless scheme and reaffirm our commitment to combat the unjust taxation of our hardworking residents by other states.”
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella isn’t thrilled with the idea, either, telling The Post that he’ll also file a lawsuit to block the plan, and he believes other outer-borough politicians will join him.
In an attempt to avoid the Manhattan toll, Fossella argued, more traffic will flow into Staten Island.
“Not only will it be a financial burden, but air quality and traffic will get worse on Staten Island,” he told The Post. “Who wants that?”
According to the borough president, U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-SI-Brooklyn) and Council Minority Leader Joe Borrelli (R-Staten Island) will be co-plaintiffs in his complaint.
Hochul, however, insists the program will benefit “millions” of people, and she only has New Yorkers’ best interest at heart.
“Everything we’re doing here is for the benefit of New Yorkers and people in the entire commuting range,” she said during her press conference. “Twenty-eight million people will benefit from the investments we’re going to continue to make, not just for New Yorkers but for the entire system that serves the neighboring states as well.”
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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