The MTA on Monday touted the primary week of the controversial state-imposed congestion pricing plan in Midtown Manhattan — however critics say the company’s math is means “fuzzy.”
Transit company officers mentioned “anecdotal reports” present site visitors is shifting extra easily within the congestion zone, commuting occasions are down and extra New Yorkers are hopping on metropolis buses due to the brand new $9 toll per automobile that kicked in on Jan. 5, though their numbers don’t precisely make the case.
“The MTA math is more than fuzzy — it’s fugazi,” metropolis Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens) quipped Monday. “I believe in their mathematical skills as much as I believed in their timeline for the Second Avenue subway.”
MTA officers informed reporters journey occasions on inbound bridges was down as a lot as 40% over the primary week of the plan, whereas site visitors south of 61st Road dipped by 16% from October and seven.5% — or 273,000 fewer automobiles in comparison with a snapshot of the identical time span final 12 months.
For instance, the company mentioned the SIM24 saved seven minutes getting throughout the Lincoln Tunnel in comparison with final 12 months, and the B39 bus obtained throughout the Williamsburg Bridge 3.9 minutes sooner.
“I think it’s obvious to everybody here that it has been a very good week here in New York,” MTA Deputy Chief of Coverage advert Exterior Relations Juliette Michaelson informed reporters Monday.
“Just look out the window. There is less traffic and quicker streets. I think everybody can see it.”
Nicely, not everyone.
“The champagne popping is premature,” Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella informed The Put up. “People will do what they can to avoid paying the $9 toll.”
Susan Lee, chief of the group New Yorkers Towards Congestion Taxes, famous that the MTA evaluation overlooks some fairly apparent details.
“January is usually the slowest month of the year,” mentioned Lee, a Tribeca resident. “While some areas experience less traffic, others have seen higher than average congestion due to drivers avoiding paying the congestion pricing tax. The MTA should be careful what they’re celebrating.”
Nassau County Govt Bruce Blakeman mentioned the MTA omitted one other very important stat.
“The claim is outrageous because anybody with common sense could figure out that a 16% reduction in traffic equates to 16% less people buying a cup of coffee, getting a meal, shopping and creating economic activity,” Blakeman mentioned. “It’s a tax on hardworking families that live in and commute to lower Manhattan.”
Mayor Eric Adams famous at a briefing that the congestion pricing plan didn’t come from Metropolis Corridor — however New Yorkers and Large Apple commuters are caught coping with it.
“I think in order to be precise we need precise numbers,” the mayor mentioned of the MTA briefing. “I used to be simply permitting the method to play out.
“It’s the law of the land right now and the worst thing I can do is throw more hysteria into this law of the land, particularly [when] I don’t have any control over [it],” he mentioned. “We’re a creature of Albany. Albany made the decision. The MTA made the decision.”
In the meantime, former longtime US Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, who lives in Island Park, mentioned the state’s congestion pricing plan will in the end drive people out of the Large Apple.
“This is nothing to celebrate,” he mentioned. “It’s not good. It’s bad.”.
