The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA’s) board on March 27 voted 11–1 to set a controversial congestion toll that would charge motorists $15 to drive on Manhattan streets south of 60th Street, despite opposition from opponents who claim it will hurt blue-collar commuters and do damage to the city’s already struggling business community.
Anger over the plan prompted several of the city’s largest municipal labor unions to join lawsuits in Manhattan federal court to block the $15 per charge, claiming it would crush the blue-collar workers most vital to the city.
The head of the Transport Workers Union (TWU), John Samuelsen, told The Epoch Times that the $15 daily toll to enter Midtown or Lower Manhattan would do nothing to improve service as had been initially promised while also penalizing the lower and middle-class workers who depend on it the most.
“I support congestion pricing, but as part of the plan, we were also supposed to see massive increases and improvements in mass transit that improve New York City, and they decided not to keep their part of the bargain,” said Mr. Samuelsen.
“Absent the long ago promised expansive targeted increase in outer borough transit options, it’s a slap in the face to hundreds of thousands of blue-collar New Yorkers,” he added.
Mr. Samuelsen said he had worked for the commission tasked with drafting the MTA’s toll proposal but resigned after officials rejected his demands to increase service on the agency’s express bus service. Among the promises made was an expansion of 24-hour-a-day express bus service, which is essential for many New Yorkers who don’t have access to reliable and timely transportation into Manhattan, according to Mr. Samuelsen.
‘A Money Grab’
“This is simply a money grab because they’re going to raise the money of the working and middle class of this city,” Mr. Mulgrew had told the New York Post. “Those are the folks who are going to pay for this program. We’re sick of this.“We’re sick of people just trying to shove things through,” he added.
New York’s controversial congestion pricing plan is set to kick off in mid-June after facing years of delays and lawsuits. The MTA has argued that the additional toll, which they claim would lower congestion on Manhattan streets, would fund $1 billion per year that would be used for upgrades to subways, commuter railroads, and bus systems and would also pay for modern computerized subway signals and new train cars.
The plan would charge drivers $15 once per day during peak hours, while the overnight toll would be $3.75. Trucks would be charged $24 or $36 per day depending on their size, but would also pay lower rates during the overnight hours.
David Mack, who represents Nassau County, was the only person who voted against the plan. He cautioned the board before the vote not to “kill the goose that lays the egg,” according to reports.
However, this is only the latest critique of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has been under fire for her handling of the city’s transit system, where high crime rates have pushed many residents to opt out of public transportation. Earlier this month, the governor deployed 1,000 members of state law enforcement, including 750 National Guard members, to target transit crime and conduct bag searches after several recent violent incidents occurred throughout the city’s subway system.
The move sparked bipartisan condemnation, including from New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
“Militarizing the subway with the National Guard and suggesting a wholesale ban on individuals from accessing public transportation are dangerous misuses of resources which could be better spent addressing these issues at their root,” Mr. Williams said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the TWU placed a full-page ad in the New York Post, recruiting a primary challenger for the Democrat governor.
Mr. Samuelsen says that Ms. Hochul needs to prioritize blue-collar New Yorkers. He claims the current plan is simply a revenue grab that will saddle already cash-strapped residents—especially those from the lower and middle classes—and that his group will ensure it comes at a political cost to Ms. Hochul.
“I can promise you that it is going to hurt her politically,” said Mr. Samuelsen.
