Congestion pricing revived at a lower $9 toll
The governor unpaused the program with a reduced base rate, reviving the long-delayed plan for a January launch.
Governor Kathy Hochul revived New York's congestion pricing program this November, lifting the pause she had imposed months earlier but lowering the base toll for most drivers to $9 from the planned $15, setting the stage for the long-delayed scheme to finally launch in the new year.
The reduced rate, Hochul said, would ease the burden on commuters while still delivering the core goals of the program: cutting traffic, reducing pollution and funding the transit system. The lower toll would raise money more slowly, but officials said it could still support the bonds needed to finance the subway's modernisation.
The revival ended months of uncertainty that had followed the governor's surprise pause, which had thrown the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's capital plans into doubt and infuriated transit advocates. The timing, coming just after the election, drew pointed commentary about the politics behind both the pause and its reversal.
Supporters welcomed the program's return, even at a lower rate, as a historic step toward taming Manhattan's gridlock and securing funding for transit. Opponents renewed their objections and their legal challenges, vowing to fight the toll even at $9.
With the program back on track for a January start, New York prepared to become the first American city to charge drivers for entering its congested core, launching an experiment that transportation officials across the country would be watching closely.