MTA Transit officers and advocates expressed shock Wednesday over a report that President Trump’s Transportation Secretary is killing the NYC congestion pricing program.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy — in a letter posted by the New York Submit earlier than it was despatched to Gov. Hochul — mentioned that he was revoking the federal authorities’s authorization for this system below the so-called the Worth Pricing Pilot Program, an authorization that was given by the Biden DOT in December.
It was not instantly clear how or when his motion would have an effect on the continued program which most drivers are paying $9 a day for driving within the congestion zone south of sixtieth Avenue in Manhattan.
“The revenues generated under this pilot program are directed toward the transit system as opposed to the highways,” Duffy wrote — expressing the entire level of congestion pricing. “I do not believe that this is a fair deal.”
“I have concluded that the scope of this pilot project as approved exceeds the authority authorized by congress under the VPPP,” he mentioned.
The Worth Pricing Pilot Program settlement, signed within the waning days of 2024 by the state, native and federal departments of transportation, was the ultimate sign-off required to authorize congestion pricing.
In a press release, the federal DOT argued that Congestion Pricing was not allowed as a result of it didn’t do sufficient to curb congestion.
“The toll rate was set primarily to raise revenue for transit, rather than at an amount needed to reduce congestion,” learn a press release launched by the division. “By doing so, the pilot runs contrary to the purpose of the VPPP, which is to impose tolls for congestion reduction – not transit revenue generation.”
It was not instantly clear what authorized authority the Trump administration may need to renege on the December settlement.
A Hochul spokesperson didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
