Wednesday, Gov. Hochul declared her intention to kill congestion pricing in New York City — and, by extension, every other American city that is considering following New York’s lead. This reckless decision is a staggering error.
With this move, the governor has single-handedly created a financial and fiduciary crisis for the MTA Board. The board voted less than three months ago to support implementation on June 30, after a years-long process to create a plan that would distribute the cost of supporting our regionally-critical transportation network throughout the areas it serves.
The governor is now tearing all of that up on a political whim, and blowing a $15 billion hole in the MTA’s capital budget, putting at risk projects benefiting people across all 12 MTA counties.
Yet the MTA Board has certain legal and fiduciary responsibilities it cannot ignore. In the event they vote to follow the governor’s direction, they must find an alternative source of funds or open themselves and the MTA up to lawsuits over multiple existing contractual agreements.
The governor has stated that she has a billion dollars available to replace congestion........