On April 20th (Sunday), the deadline set by the Federal Department of Transportation for New York to stop collecting congestion fees in the commercial area south of 60th Street in Manhattan expired. However, the cameras used for collecting congestion fees in New York City are still operational, and Governor Hochul has once again made it clear that she will not comply.
Governor Hochul stated that she has no intention of adhering to the federal government’s deadline and ending the unpopular congestion toll program in New York City.
In a statement to the media, the Governor’s office expressed, “The plan is working, traffic volume is decreasing, businesses are flourishing, and the cameras continue to operate.”
Starting from January 5th this year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has been charging a daily toll of $9 for vehicles entering the area below 60th Street in Manhattan, known as the “congestion fee,” aiming to reduce traffic, speed up travel, and improve air quality, but it is essentially a way for the MTA to raise funds, with the promise to use the hundreds of millions of dollars collected annually to update equipment and upgrade services.
The White House had threatened to block the MTA’s plan in February and originally set a deadline for March 20th for it to end, warning that federal funding to New York would be revoked if the program continued. However, New York has maintained a non-compliant stance, and just before the deadline, Secretary of Transportation Duffy extended the cutoff date to April 20th, giving New York another month of grace period.
In February, the MTA filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, prompting the transport departments of New York State and New York City to join in legal action against the federal government.
The plaintiffs argue that despite the government issuing the “royal” decree, it is attempting to hastily and unilaterally overturn the solution devised by the city’s elected representatives to address the issue of traffic congestion, which they deem as illegal and invalid.
The MTA reiterated last week that if there were any doubts, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state of New York, and the city of New York have emphasized in a court filing that the congestion toll system will continue to be enforced, and Secretary Duffy’s arguments to stop it are unfounded.
The U.S. Department of Transportation also told NBC last Friday that it expected New York to “terminate the program” before the Sunday deadline, stating, “The U.S. Department of Transportation will continue to fight for the interests of American working class, whose taxes have been used to fund and pay for these road costs.”
The Department of Transportation published a message earlier this month stating that if New York State does not comply, it will “not hesitate to use all means at our disposal” to shut down toll stations, without providing specific details.
However, as of Sunday evening, after Governor Hochul and the MTA expressed their firm non-compliant stance, the Department of Transportation has not issued any further response.