Kathy Hochul of New York announced on Wednesday that she was shelving the long-awaited tolling scheme known as congestion pricing, just weeks before it was to go into effect.
“After careful consideration I have come to the difficult decision that implementing the planned congestion pricing system risks too many unintended consequences,” Ms. Hochul said, adding: “I have directed the M.T.A.
to indefinitely pause the program.”The decision, Ms. Hochul said, was not an easy one, but nonetheless crucial in light of the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic on working families and New York City’s economy.
The congestion pricing plan, the first of its kind in the nation and a program that has been decades in the making, was slated to start June 30.
Drivers using E-ZPass would have paid as much as $15 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street.
Persons:
Kathy Hochul, Ms, Hochul
Organizations:
New York
Locations:
New, New York, Manhattan