Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who pushed the state’s controversial congestion pricing law through the legislature in 2019, is now urging officials to end the program.
Cuomo recently said the plan — which requires a $15 toll to enter Manhattan’s Midtown business district — just gives people one more reason to stay away from the post-pandemic Big Apple, which is still struggling with too much crime and an immigrant and homelessness crisis.
“There’s been a change in circumstances,” Cuomo said, referring to when he moved on to New York City’s post-COVID legislation and world.
“Now there is option C: stay at home,” he told Fox 5’s “Good Day New York” last week.
“‘The cost is already too high. It’s another obstacle. I don’t want to pay higher tolls to drive into New York City which has high crime, which has homeless people. I’ll stay home,’” he said, speaking of the driver.
“That didn’t exist six years ago,” Cuomo said of the opposition, driven at least in part by remote work. “No one should stay at home. No Zoom meetings.”
Cuomo said a new study needs to be done before the plan is implemented to find out if the $15 toll will keep people from visiting the city.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked state officials to delay implementation of the congestion pricing plan because of “changes in circumstances.” Gregory P. Mango
“I would like to see an analysis that shows the current reality,” he said. “If you raise the tolls, will you cause more people to stay at home, which will actually raise less money?”
His new stance is a stark contrast to his frenetic advocacy for congestion pricing in 2019, when he pushed through the legislation despite strong opposition from some lawmakers. The planned $15 toll to enter Midtown would not have happened without his support first.
“Congestion pricing is the only logical and realistic option for financing [Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s] capital requirements,” Cuomo said at the time.
He claimed that most drivers would not be affected because only “very rich people” could afford to drive into Manhattan.
Cuomo previously pushed for a congestion pricing plan when he took office in 2019. Matthew McDermott
“Out-of-towners don’t drive their cars into Manhattan. That’s not how they got in,” Cuomo said at the time. “I’m a Queens boy. Only the rich can drive to Manhattan. You have to pay a toll. You have to pay for parking. . . . That’s probably close to $100 a day.”
He added that it’s a “luxury” to drive to Midtown.
Cuomo’s flip-flop angered some mass transit advocates. The tolls are designed to help pay for improvements to New York City’s aging subway system, as well as reduce driving, among other things.
“The former governor can be remembered for putting us on the path to fix the subway. Now that he’s out of power, this Grinch doesn’t want anyone to have a modern, reliable and accessible public transit network,” said Daniel Pearstein of the Riders Alliance. “No wonder riders spend years stuck on delayed trains, popularizing the popular hashtag #CuomosMTA.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul, Cuomo’s successor who serves as his lieutenant governor, strongly supports congestion pricing tolls that will be implemented as early as next spring by the MTA she controls.
Hochul referred the MTA to respond to The Post about Cuomo’s comments. The transit agency Sunday blasted Cuomo for flip-flopping.
“Congestion pricing is happening in Singapore, Stockholm and London where more people are visiting the central business district since it started,” MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan said in an emailed statement. “What will really hurt New York’s continued recovery is starving the subway of much-needed funding after decades of underinvestment.
“Congestion Pricing means faster emergency response times, cleaner air and better service for most New Yorkers to commute, so it’s disappointing for the former Governor to withdraw his support for it,” the representative said.
Governor Hochul supports congestion pricing for Manhattan. REUTERS/Lindsay DeDario
Cuomo resigned as governor under threat of impeachment after a number of women accused him of sexual misconduct or harassment – allegations he has denied.
Since then, he has struggled to return to relevance and even paved the way for a political revival at one point.
Under the congestion pricing plan, drivers of passenger cars entering Manhattan south of 60th Street during the day would be charged $15.50 and $3.75 off-peak.
The fee for a small truck is $24, while a large truck will cost $36 during the day. At night, the tolls will be discounted to $6 and $9, respectively, to shift congestion-causing deliveries out of travel time.
Cuomo said a new study needs to be done on congestion pricing that factors in “today’s reality.” Brigitte Stelzer
Some Democrats in New Jersey, including Governor Phil Murphy, have been vocal in their opposition to the implementation of congestion pricing. Some suburban and upstate New York Democrats also came out against the tolls.
Republicans in New York say they intend to use the issue against Democratic opponents in the 2024 election.
The toll program is supported by mass transit and environmental advocates and several business groups, including the Real Estate Board of New York.
But supporters of the Broadway Theater District fear congestion tolls will discourage regional tourists from coming to see shows.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
