"Congestion pricing is the one largest supply of funding within the MTA's capital program," mentioned Riders Alliance spokesman Danny Pearlstein.
Christopher Sadowski
Congestion tolls deliberate for Manhattan beneath sixtieth Avenue should not slated to occur till the tip of subsequent yr — and transit advocates fear that the delay will impression desperately wanted MTA upgrades.
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature authorized the tolling plan in 2019, with the objective of funding the $55 billion MTA modernization program that's presupposed to end in extra dependable and frequent trains, along with dozens of latest elevators and hundreds of latest electrical buses to the area.
Initially scheduled to launch in 2021, this system has stalled because of bureaucratic delays on the federal degree — most just lately, an in-depth environmental evaluate anticipated to take 16 months or longer. Transit watchers are rising more and more involved.
“Congestion pricing is the one largest supply of funding within the MTA’s capital program,” mentioned Riders Alliance spokesman Danny Pearlstein.
“With out it, they received’t be capable of improve as many alerts or set up as many elevators.”
But Gov. Kathy Hochul, who inherited the toll plan from her predecessor, has not appeared wanting to launch new charges in an election yr, regardless of visitors having returned to pre-COVID ranges.
Hochul insisted throughout Tuesday’s Democratic gubernatorial major debate that she “helps” the plan, however that “now is just not the appropriate time” for it to launch.
“We’ve been in negotiation with the federal authorities, who've a say on the subsequent step they usually have now put some hurdles in the best way we've to beat,” Hochul mentioned — a reference to the 400-plus questions US DOT has informed the MTA to reply concerning the plan.
“This isn't going to occur within the subsequent yr beneath any circumstances.”
MTA officers have mentioned they don’t want the cash from the tolls instantly. On Wednesday, the authority issued an announcement that it was “totally dedicated to congestion pricing.”
“We've got been vocal concerning the significance of this program,” MTA spokesman John McCarthy mentioned in an announcement.
Andrew Rein of the Residents Price range Fee mentioned that the MTA ought to be capable of fund development by this yr and subsequent, however delays past that create actual dangers.
“In some unspecified time in the future, within the subsequent few years, the shortage of congestion pricing cash will threaten the power of the MTA to do the capital repairs it wants: We'd like stations, we want alerts, we want rolling inventory,” Rein mentioned.
“Finally, they want that cash to repair the subways.”
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