by: Bria Donohue
On February 29, MTA Bridges and Tunnels holds the first of four public hearings on New York’s Central Business District Tolling Program. AIA New York has been a longtime supporter of congestion pricing and has worked closely with the Congestion Pricing Now coalition to advocate on behalf of the program and the specifics of the tolling structure for all traffic entering Manhattan below 60th Street.
In December, the MTA Board voted to adopt the Traffic Mobility Review Board’s recommendations and began the State Administrative Procedure Act (SAPA), which started this current round of public comments. The public comment period is open until March 11. See details on how to submit comments to the MTA here.
In 2019, the New York State Legislature passed the Central Business District Tolling Program, which is set to have a transformational effect on how people, cars, and trucks move around the city, improve air quality regionally, and generate much needed revenue for the MTA to support capital projects. In the NYC metropolitan area, congestion in the central business district creates untenable delays for emergency vehicles, buses, delivery vehicles, and drivers who have no other choice but to take cars and trucks into the zone.
AIA New York advocates for congestion pricing as a proven solution—seen in London, Stockholm, and Singapore—that would create a multi-billion-dollar investment to modernize and upgrade the city’s public transportation and lessen the burden of traffic congestion. Left unchecked, these conditions will otherwise continue to undermine our economy and pollute our air. Congestion pricing is a win-win-win for the region that will fund public transit, reduce traffic congestion, and clean our air.