NYC's congestion pricing clears final legislative hurdle, on track for Jan. 5 start
NEW YORK - Congestion pricing has cleared its final legislative hurdle.
The MTA announced the Federal Highway Administration has given the revised program the green light, clearing the way for it to start on Jan. 5, 2025.
The street scanners are up, but opponents still hope to stop the plan. A judge has agreed to give coalition labor unions and elected officials an opportunity to argue a case for a stay.
All sides have to submit papers by the end of the month.
"Today is the moment we've been waiting for, when we cleared the final bureaucratic hurdle to implement congestion pricing," MTA CEO Janno Lieber said. "This is an exciting moment."
Lieber said the program has been in the works for 20 years.
"Everybody knows this has been a long journey getting to this point," Lieber said. "It has me thinking about two groups of people in particular - all of the New Yorkers who are going to benefit from this initiative, and that's a huge group, but also all the people who worked so hard to make this happen."
Lieber spoke to the controversial nature of the policy.
"I hope New Yorkers, whatever their opinion, can recognize that this is a significant moment when we are saying that we can do things to address the big challenges that we as a city and a region face," Lieber said. "Congestion pricing says that we're not going to just going to keep putting our heads in the sand about the impact of congestion. We're not going to pretend that we don't have a limited amount on our streets. We're going to do something about the problem that congestion is creating, and with it, improve our transit."
A hearing would be held in December.
"Public transit riders are one big step closer to more reliable trains, accessible stations and faster buses. After years of campaigning and holding our leaders accountable, relief cannot come soon enough. Decongesting America's most gridlocked neighborhoods will speed up ambulances and cut the massive waste and inefficiency that drive up our grocery bills and put essentials out of reach. Reducing traffic crashes and toxic air pollution will lower healthcare costs," Riders Alliance Executive Director Betsy Plum said. "While a relative few pay a new toll, 20 million Americans in four states will save time, money, and aggravation. Once it starts, congestion pricing will again demonstrate that, together, we can address our common challenges and improve people's lives."