Statement from NYC Comptroller on MTA’s Congestion Pricing Plan and Environmental Review

 

City Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement on the new Congestion Pricing Plan and Environmental New York, NY – City Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement on the new Congestion Pricing Plan and Environmental Review released this morning by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority:

“This step towards the implementation of congestion pricing advances an urgently needed plan to address the traffic on our streets and the financial needs of our transit system.

“I’ve long called for New York City to join other forward-looking, world-class municipalities and implement a congestion pricing plan that will help fund improvements to our public transit system while cutting back on one of the greatest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

“In the decade since congestion pricing was initially proposed, average traffic speeds in the Manhattan Central Business District plummeted 22% from an already crawling 9.1 mph to just 7.1 mph, and buses slowed even faster. The long-awaited implementation of congestion pricing will help speed up our snarled streets and improve commutes.

“Congestion pricing is also necessary to support the long-term financing the MTA must have to modernize our outdated signal system, make all our subway stations accessible, and expand and improve service.

“Environmental justice and equity are critical to designing the implementation of the congestion pricing program, and we look forward to digging into the details released today.

“While congestion pricing will be a necessary boon to our cash-strapped transit agency, mass transit ridership is still at roughly two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels and it’s long been true that farebox revenues are not enough to maintain and upgrade the nation’s largest transit system. We will need to look more ambitiously at state and regional approaches for revenue and investments to put the NYC metro transit system and our economy on solid footing for the long-term.

“Bringing New York City’s economy back strongly and inclusively demands swift implementation of congestion pricing to enable cleaner, faster, safer, and more affordable commutes for riders and drivers across the metropolitan area.”