Congestion pricing advocates say Gov. Hochul's pause breaks MTA station accessibility promises
NEW YORK -- A rally was held in Brooklyn On Wednesday calling for Gov. Kathy Hochul to restart the congestion pricing program in order to fund vital MTA projects, like making subway stations more accessible.
CBS New York spoke to people with disabilities struggling to get around at the Nostrand Avenue station in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and in a span of just 10 minutes saw a woman with a cane trying to navigate the stairs, a mother lugging a stroller, a traveler with a suitcase, and met Ruth Peters, who spoke about her mobility issues.
"I cannot take the subway anymore because I cannot get down the stairs," Peters said.
Advocates say governor's decision breaks promises
Officials say the Nostrand Avenue station was one of 23 promised accessibility projects that are now on hold due to the governor pausing the tolling plan in early June. The money from the program was slated to fund MTA projects, like building elevators.
"Very disappointing. I was looking forward to having an elevator at Nostrand," Peters said.
The MTA made a commitment to add elevators to 95% of its stations by 2055. Now, that promise being fulfilled is in question.
"We are just at 25%, I believe, of our transit system being fully ADA compliant," one woman said.
With the majority of stations still lacking elevators, advocates say tens of thousands of New Yorkers struggle to use the system or can't use it at all.
"It's hard to get in and out of the subway without the elevator," one rider said.
"I can't walk up steps anymore. I can't stand for long periods of time," rider George Bettman said.
"The elevators, most of them are not working. I have to go up stairs. I have a disability," rider Glen Baksh added.
"There isn't any other way"
Transit advocates, riders and elected officials said the rally was designed as an attempt to send a message to Hochul.
"There isn't any other way. We don't have one other dedicated revenue source that would bring in this amount of funding to actually improve transit," said Danna Dennis of the Riders Alliance.
And many New Yorkers say the train is their only choice.
"They have no other option. There isn't a dollar for Uber and Lyft. There's nothing extra coming in," Dennis said.
Transit advocates say the pause on congestion pricing not only jeopardizes billions in public transit upgrades, but slows riders down. The MTA says it continues to try to find other revenue streams to fund projects, like applying for federal grants.
CBS New York reached out to the governor's office, which said Hochul is collaborating with government partners on funding solutions while congestion pricing is on hold.