Hochul Ignored Plea from 4 Council Members for Relief from Congest Toll for Residents Living Below 60th St.
Four City Council Members–Chris Marte, Keith Powers, Eric Bottcher and Carlina Rivera–penned an open letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul and NYS Dept. of Traffic Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez, late last year before the toll went into effect, calling for relief for residents within the zone similar to the London plan. The plea went unheeded.
| 06 Jan 2025 | 06:42
Signs highlighting the new congestion pricing zone. (
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Commuters coming in from the New Jersey tunnels will receive a $3 discount on the congestion pricing toll. Commuters using the Hugh L. Carey (Brooklyn Battery) Tunnel and the Mid-town Manhattan Tunnel, will only get a $1.50 credit off the $9 toll on their E-Z Pass. (
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Dear Governor Hochul and Commissioner Dominguez:
We write to you as New York City Council Members representing the Central Business Districtof Manhattan (“CBD”). With the news of the coming start of the historic Central Business District Tolling Program, we look forward to positive changes in our neighborhoods, including increasing mobility in Manhattan, reducing the number of cars clogging our streets, decreasing pollution, improving the city’s air quality, and making the city safer and more enjoyable for pedestrians.
Congestion pricing is also intended to raise $15 billion to upgrade New York City’s transit system. With this revenue, the MTA will be able to improve the subway’s signaling system, expand public transportation options across the five boroughs, and install new elevators in subway stations across the city to achieve 95 percent accessibility by 2055. These improvements would help make critical repairs and improvements to our transportation system that we desperately need.
Despite the positive results that the program will bring, we are still concerned today for the needsof our constituents who live within the CBD. We are writing today to reiterate our support for anaccommodation to be made for those New Yorkers. For the individuals and families living within Keith Powers Council Member, 4th District, Carlina Rivera Council Member 2nd District; Erik Bottcher, Council Member 3rd District; Christopher Marte, Council Member 1st District, whom we represent, the current fee structure would essentially result in a fee in every instance where a person would utilize a personal vehicle.
We aim to encourage use of public transportation over personal vehicles, while also recognizing that there are instances where it is inevitable and unavoidable. We can take our cue from the successful congestion pricing programin London, which guaranteed a 90 percent discount for residents in the zone.
Congestion pricing...will drive historic improvements to our city’s streets and transit system, and can set an example for the rest of the country. It is crucial that it is implemented in an equitable manner, to provide the greatest possible benefit for New York.
Sincerely,Keith Powers, Carlina Rivera, Erik Bottcher, Chris Marte