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 indefinitely back in early June.
"Earlier this week, you know what? The truth finally came out. It has been revealed the governor intends to bring back the congestion pricing scheme," Hempstead Supervisor Donald Clavin said. "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."
- Read more: Congestion pricing pause looms over MTA's projected $400-plus million budget deficit in 2027-28
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.
"This isn't a Republican issue. This isn't a Democrat issue. This is a hard-working New Yorker issue," Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, a Republican whose district includes Hempstead, said back in May.
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."
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 the goal of congestion pricing was to reduce traffic and improve air quality in Manhattan. The money raised from the plan was to be used for mass transit projects and upgrades.
