New York State Governor Kathy Hochul stopped the implementation of the city's congestion pricing plan, citing affordability issues with everyday New Yorkers.
The governor said she instructed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to "indefinitely pause the program," according to a news release.
The congestion plan, years in the making and scheduled to start on June 30, would have charged drivers to pay $15 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street.
“Let’s be real: a $15 charge may not mean a lot to someone who has the means, but it can break the budget of a working- or middle-class household," the governor said. "It puts the squeeze on the very people who make this City go: the teachers, first responders, small business workers, bodega owners."
The governor said over the last five years, New Yorkers have seen the price of groceries go up an average of 23%, housing prices increase by 17% and the cost of child care go up by almost 20%.
"And given these financial pressures, I cannot add another burden to working- and middle-class New Yorkers – or create another obstacle to continued recovery," the governor said.
Hochul said she has set aside funding to backstop the MTA Capital Plan, and is currently exploring other funding sources to keep transit improvement plans on track.
Many transportation advocates were not pleased with the governor.
"Delaying congestion pricing is a slap in the face to the millions of New Yorkers who rely on public transportation every day just to appease the program’s loudest foes," said Elizabeth Adams, deputy executive director for public affairs at the nonprofit Transportation Alternatives.
Congestion pricing is a $15 billion lifeline for the MTA, she added.
"The next time your train is late, your bus is trapped in traffic, your subway station is still missing an elevator, you know who to blame: Governor Kathy Hochul," she said.
