Long Island lawmakers call for congestion pricing to end permanently. Here's what they're saying.
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Get rid of congestion pricing forever. That was the message from Long Island leaders on Wednesday.
They're calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to permanently eliminate the plan, which she paused back in early June.
"Let's eliminate the congestion pricing plan. Let's take down the monitors and let's stand up for residents and do the right thing and find a way to save them money," Hempstead Supervisor Donald Clavin said. "It's nothing more than a money grab from the men and women who commute to the city for their jobs."
A spokesman for the governor, however, said she is exploring her options and will likely unveil a replacement plan by the end of this year or early in 2025.
Clavin and other Long Island leaders are still fighting the plan in federal court with a lawsuit against the MTA, which alleges the tolling system amounts to an illegal tax that treats classes of people differently for the same activity. It's one of 11 separate lawsuits targeting the tolling plan.
"We don't want a pause. We don't want a time out. We don't want a maybe. We want a never," Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, a Republican whose district includes Hempstead, said Wednesday.
Last month, state lawmakers suggested bringing back the plan, but at a lower price point than the proposed $15.
"The governor has heard from state legislators, like me, who strongly believe we should mend it, not end it," state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal said at the time, adding, "The baseline of $9 is a figure that might be considered without having the federal environmental review start again from scratch."
Funding the MTA remains a big concern
Putting the brakes on the plan to decrease traffic, reduce pollution and invest in mass transit left a gaping hole in the MTA's budget.
"All those other cities with congestion pricing, right before you started, [it had the] lowest political support. The minute it started, 'Oh, this isn't so bad. I like not having as much congestion and I like having cleaner air,'" state Sen. Liz Krueger told CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer on her political show, "The Point."
Opponents said the MTA needs to reign in waste instead.
"Get the people who are turnstile jumpers. Get the people who are evading tolls with covered license plates," said state Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, who represents Malverne.
"If you hadn't spent $1.3 billion in overtime last year what projects could you have completed without fleecing the commuters who go to the city," Clavin said.
MTA Chief, Policy and External Relations John J. McCarthy released the following statement:
"While we appreciate random outbursts from political machine puppets, the MTA is running 40% more service on Long Island with a budget that's 3% lower than before COVID," McCarthy said.
Pre-pause congestion pricing details
Congestion pricing was supposed to start at 12 a.m. on June 30.
New York City would have been the first in the nation to implement such a toll. It's now unclear when -- or if -- it will take effect.
Under the plan, drivers were to be charged to enter Manhattan at or below 60th Street. Fees were highest during peak hours -- 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
For drivers using E-ZPass, passenger and small commercial vehicles were to pay $15 during peak hours, motorcycles were to pay $7.50, and trucks and buses were to pay $24 or $36 depending on size.
Some discounts and exemptions were available, including the Individual Disability Exemption Plan for those who are unable to use mass transit due to medical conditions.
Officials said in addition to funding the MTA, the other major goal of congestion pricing was to reduce traffic and improve air quality in Manhattan.