With a March 21 deadline rapidly approaching, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and the Trucking Association of New York (TANY) penned a letter to the United States Department of Transportation, stating their continued support regarding the discontinuation of New York City’s congestion pricing plan.
The plan, which was rolled out by Governor Kathy Hochul, went into effect on January 5, in the form of a $9 toll for vehicles heading into Manhattan below 60th Street and also during peak hours. The objectives of the plan, as outlined by the Governor’s office, focus on cutting down on traffic congestion and pollution, while also bringing in revenue for public transportation improvements, too. The plan—also known as the Central Business District (CBD) Tolling Program (CBDTP) and a pilot project under the Value Pricing Pilot Program—was approved by the Federal Highway Administration late last year, under the Biden administration.
As previously reported, the fate of the plan came into question, with Secretary Sean Duffy writing a letter to Hochul on February 19, in which he stated that he was asked by President Trump to review FHWA’s approval of the plan.
“In particular, the President expressed his concerns about the extent of the tolling that was approved by the Department of Transportation on highways that have been constructed with funds under the Federal-aid Highway Program and the significant burdens on the New York City residents, businesses, and area commuters (including those from New Jersey and Connecticut) who regularly use the highway network in the CBD tolling area,” wrote Duffy.
Governor Hochul did not pull any punches in responding to Secretary Duffy’s letter, calling it an attack on the state’s sovereign identity and independence from Washington, adding that a lawsuit was filed soon after the letter was sent to her office.
“The next time you’re stuck in traffic, the next time your train is delayed, the next time you’re in a flooded station because infrastructure repairs were not made, I want you to think of this,” she said. “Think about this: Next time you’re stuck in traffic, we know where the blame goes.”
What’s more, Gloria Shepherd, Federal Highway Administration Executive Director, penned
a letter to New York transportation leaders that requested they “must cease the collection of tolls” by March 21, according to a New York Times report. And Shepherd added that they must work with her organization “to provide the necessary details and updates,” relating the halting toll operations, the report added.
“[T]he congestion pricing scheme was clearly designed to discriminate against trucks,” ATA President & CEO Chris Spear and TANY President Kendra Hems Hems wrote to Secretary Duffy. “Unlike passenger vehicles, there is no viable alternative for trucks that must operate in the congestion zone to deliver the essential freight relied upon by businesses, the hospitality industry, and health care facilities, to name a few. The result is higher prices for everyone living, working in, and visiting the city, with the potential for significant job losses. We would like to thank you for your efforts to halt this ill-conceived, discriminatory scheme. We encourage USDOT to take all necessary steps to ensure that New York’s application of tolls is consistent with the Constitution and federal statutes.”
This is not the first time congestion pricing has faced a roadblock in New York City.
In 2008, a plan proposed by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to charge a fee to drivers entering the most congested parts of Manhattan was squelched, when the New York State Assembly rejected the proposal.
Bloomberg’s plan, which was initially proposed on Earth Day in 2007, called for cars and trucks (those with low emissions being exempt) be required to pay $8 and $21, respectively, when entering Manhattan below 60th Street from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. When the plan was first rolled out, it was slated for vehicles entering Manhattan below 86th Street. While motorists and truckers driving along Manhattan’s east and west sides would not have been fined under the original plan, the fee would have been deducted from the tolls commuters already pay to come into Manhattan via the connecting bridges or tunnels.
