Congestion Pricing is moving forward
Great news: Last week, congestion pricing took a major step toward federal approval and implementation!
At Wednesday’s MTA Board meeting, CEO Janno Lieber announced the appointment of the Traffic Mobility Review Board (TMRB), who will be working out the details of New York’s congestion pricing plan. The board, primarily appointed by Governor Hochul, is stacked with heavy hitters close to the Governor. But we believe these appointments show that she's serious about implementing congestion pricing fully and fairly.
The MTA expects to release its draft Environmental Assessment (EA) report, a requirement for federal approval, in early August. Public hearings for the EA will be held from Thursday, August 25 - Wednesday, August 31, where we’ll be rallying in support for exemption-free congestion pricing to fund overdue capital projects, faster buses, and much needed accessibility improvements, make our streets safer, and reduce our emissions.
We encourage you to join us at the hearings and voice your support for transit funding, faster buses, cleaner air, and lower carbon emissions. If you're able to testify, please sign up today to voice your support for a fair program with no new exemptions for special interest groups.
UPDATE 8/24/2022: There are more than 350 people signed up to speak at Thursday’s hearing and hundreds more at the following hearings. With respect to our member’s time, we are now urging riders to submit written comments to MTA and FHWA in support of congestion pricing.
We’ve made it easy to submit a comment. You can send a pre-drafted email to MTA/FHWA (we highly recommend personalizing it) or submit an online comment via MTA’s website.
What’s at stake right now: Congestion pricing detractors have been busy speaking out to delay congestion pricing, saying now’s not the time, there should be carveouts. The fewer exemptions, the fairer the toll and the more successful the program will be.
When implemented, New York’s congestion pricing program will be the single largest funding source to modernize the subway – projected to deliver about $1 billion annually to fund signal upgrades, accessibility improvements, and other capital projects. Congestion pricing will be a win-win-win for transit, traffic congestion, and reducing New York's carbon footprint at a critical moment for all three of these issues. Millions of riders are counting on a robust program, and we need to keep speaking up to make it a reality!