Congestion pricing debate heats up after new details emerge

Plan to charge drivers in Manhattan gets critiqued from both sides [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] Congestion pricing debate heats up after new details of the plan emerge Plus: An award for the city's slowest bus. Open Streets in decline. And a critter that fits perfectly in an old subway car's middle seat. Sponsor Message[Ad: NYC Means Business. Click here to find options to help you shop your city.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- [traffic in Manhattan at sunset] Gary Hershorn/Getty Images [A plan to charge drivers]( who enter Manhattan south of 60th Street as much as $23 for private cars and $81 for trucks yielded mixed reactions this week as new side effects of the landmark congestion pricing proposal were revealed. "I think it makes a lot of sense because there are a lot of cars and a lot of traffic, but at the same time, I don't think it should come at a cost [to] Uber drivers," said Jeffrey Degraft, a 32-year-old driver for Uber and Lyft. As part of the MTA’s proposal, taxis would be charged the same rates as a private vehicle — but the agency is planning to help drivers who want to become MTA bus drivers or convert to Access-A-Ride drivers. Bhairavi Desai, the founder of the Taxi Workers Alliance, said the MTA’s offer to help taxi drivers was a "a not-so-subtle admission that drivers would lose jobs." "If you're lucky enough to even get passengers, you'd collect more in taxes to turn over to the state than to keep as income for yourself," Desai said. "How is that fair?" Meanwhile, the MTA’s full environmental assessment for the program, which covers hundreds of pages, revealed additional impacts. Traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway, for example, would increase dramatically due to congestion pricing, with the section of the highway near Macombs Road getting an estimated increase of as many as 4,000 additional personal vehicles and 704 additional trucks each day. "I am a supporter of congestion pricing in principle," said Rep. Ritchie Torres, who represents parts of the Bronx. "That being said, any plan that threatens to intensify diesel truck traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway would raise serious concerns about public health and racial equity." Then, there are those who think the congestion pricing plan isn't going far enough. Nicole Gelinas, a transit policy expert at the Manhattan Institute, argued that the MTA is missing a key opportunity to decrease traffic beyond the estimated 20% by not fully utilizing "dynamic pricing," or charging more during opportune moments. "When it's 95 degrees, double the price to improve the air quality," she told Gothamist. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul emphasized that the MTA is seeking public input. Congestion pricing, she said, is meant to be a "thoughtful approach" to bolstering public transit in New York City and reducing emissions. Hochul's Republican opponent, Long Island Rep. Lee Zeldin, has called for ending congestion pricing before it starts, arguing that New Yorkers can't afford another fee. But Hochul said it's necessary to ensure the MTA is well-funded. "This is a major funding source, and my political opponent would rather raise taxes on New Yorkers to pay for this, or shut down the subway," she said. "I'm not sure what his alternatives are, but we're trying to have a very thoughtful approach." [Read more on the latest congestion pricing details](. — [Reporting by Stephen Nessen and Jon Campbell]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsor Message [Ad: NYC Means Business. Click here to find options to help you shop your city.] --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Pokey Awards for slowest buses return from pandemic hiatus, featuring a surprise appearance [NYC Transit president Richard Davey talks at the Pokey Awards ceremony] Stephen Nessen/Gothamist [The Pokey Awards]( an annual event run by the transit advocacy group NYPIRG, "honored" the slowest buses across the five boroughs earlier this week after crunching the average speed times of 77 of the MTA’s bus routes with the highest ridership during the month of May. For the first time anyone can remember, the New York City Transit president made an appearance at this year's ceremony to recognize the organizers' call for better service and share his frustrations about why buses aren't moving faster. “It drives me crazy, I see it all the time. Ice cream trucks and other delivery trucks parked in bus lanes," said NYC Transit President Richard Davey, who took over the job in May. There are currently 100 cameras installed on the front of buses that automatically ticket vehicles for blocking bus lanes, and Davey said that number will increase to 400 by the end of the year. He said the city’s commitment to add 150 miles of dedicated bus lanes over the next three years should also improve bus speeds. This year's top award, the Golden Snail, went to the M102, which runs from the East Village to Harlem at an agonizing pace of 4.6 miles per hour. [Read more about the 2022 Pokeys here](. — [Reporting by Stephen Nessen]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Here's What Else Is Happening NJ Transit is asking for public input on the Newark Penn Station renovation. The transit agency is holding public hearings and soliciting survey responses ahead of a planned $190 million upgrade to the train hub. ([Gothamist]( Citi Bike ridership set a new record during the heat wave. Between July 31st and August 6th, the bike-share program recorded an all-time high of 837,729 rides, with the e-bikes getting a disproportionately high amount of use. ([Streetsblog]( New York City has lost 63 miles of Open Streets since the program peaked at 83 miles earlier in the pandemic. While select Open Streets have thrived, especially on blocks where locals are maintaining the barriers and funding classes and activities, many neighborhoods have seen local residents and businesses take back the pedestrianized roadways for driving and parking. ([The New York Times]( The MTA has identified a core group of power-dodgers who've racked up $5 million in unpaid bridge and tunnel tolls. Among the 2,000 summonses issued this year, there's a group of 166 "persistent" toll evaders who owe an average of $30,120 each. ([AM New York]( The Rockaway Rocket ferry is cool. The weekend-only ferry is $8 instead of the $4 baseline cost for the regular NYC Ferry, but Rocket riders are guaranteed a spot — no waiting in a long line required — and it'll get you from Wall Street to the beach in 45 minutes. ([Hell Gate]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- And Finally: The middle seat was made for you, little fella [a video of a fly riding on a subway seat]( [@ohJuliatweets/Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ad: NYC Means Business. Click here to find options to help you shop your city.]( Sponsor Message Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. 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