New York Governor Kathy Hochul has refused to lift the 25% cap on congestion tolls during "Gridlock Alert" days, potentially exacerbating holiday traffic in the city. The move came as a disappointment to transit experts who had hoped that such measures would help alleviate congestion and make the system more efficient.
Currently, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) can increase the daily congestion toll by 25% on "Gridlock Alert" days when the city's transportation department declares a traffic emergency. However, Hochul's office has blocked this move, opting instead to maintain the existing price structure.
This decision is seen as a setback for congestion pricing, which aims to reduce traffic and promote more efficient use of public transportation. The system currently charges drivers $9 for vehicles traveling below 60th Street, with the goal of increasing revenue for the MTA while encouraging fewer cars on the road.
Critics argue that such measures should be in place during periods of high congestion, as they would help alleviate traffic and provide relief to commuters. "I was very disappointed when the governor took that out," said Sam Schwartz, a prominent transit planner who coined the term "gridlock." He believes that the current system is not sophisticated enough, charging drivers equally for short or long distances.
Hochul's decision has also been criticized by pro-transit groups, which argue that it fails to address the root causes of congestion. Riders Alliance spokesperson Danny Pearlstein stated that "Gridlock alert days should come with meaningful action, not just a gentle nudge." The organization calls for more robust measures to tackle holiday traffic, such as implementing an HOV restriction or increasing the congestion surcharge.
As Hochul is up for re-election next year, some experts question whether imposing extra fees on drivers during holidays would be an effective strategy. Mitchell Moss, an urban policy professor at NYU, believes that it makes sense to wait until she gets re-elected and can reassess her stance on transportation pricing.
Currently, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) can increase the daily congestion toll by 25% on "Gridlock Alert" days when the city's transportation department declares a traffic emergency. However, Hochul's office has blocked this move, opting instead to maintain the existing price structure.
This decision is seen as a setback for congestion pricing, which aims to reduce traffic and promote more efficient use of public transportation. The system currently charges drivers $9 for vehicles traveling below 60th Street, with the goal of increasing revenue for the MTA while encouraging fewer cars on the road.
Critics argue that such measures should be in place during periods of high congestion, as they would help alleviate traffic and provide relief to commuters. "I was very disappointed when the governor took that out," said Sam Schwartz, a prominent transit planner who coined the term "gridlock." He believes that the current system is not sophisticated enough, charging drivers equally for short or long distances.
Hochul's decision has also been criticized by pro-transit groups, which argue that it fails to address the root causes of congestion. Riders Alliance spokesperson Danny Pearlstein stated that "Gridlock alert days should come with meaningful action, not just a gentle nudge." The organization calls for more robust measures to tackle holiday traffic, such as implementing an HOV restriction or increasing the congestion surcharge.
As Hochul is up for re-election next year, some experts question whether imposing extra fees on drivers during holidays would be an effective strategy. Mitchell Moss, an urban policy professor at NYU, believes that it makes sense to wait until she gets re-elected and can reassess her stance on transportation pricing.
. I mean, who thought putting a huge block of text in the middle of the page was a good idea? It's like they want us to scan one big paragraph at a time... ugh. And don't even get me started on how slow it takes for pages to load 
. I'm trying to read about this congestion toll debate and I'm getting distracted by all these annoying ads popping up 
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. Its like they say what the people want but dont actually make any changes... i mean, congestion pricing is supposed to be a solution to reduce traffic not add more stress on drivers and commuters. I can understand why transit experts would wanna see some action taken during gridlock alert days, its not like they're just trying to get rich off tolls 
. What if they had implemented the extra fee surcharge or HOV restriction instead? Maybe thats a better way to tackle traffic issues...
I think this decision is a big bummer for anyone trying to tackle the issue of congestion in NYC 
. With the holiday season just around the corner, you'd think they'd want to make things easier for commuters, not harder 
. The whole idea behind gridlock alert days was supposed to help alleviate traffic and get more people using public transport 
, but now it seems like that's all being taken away 
. I mean, who doesn't want a little relief from the daily commute grueling? And instead of just having a gentle nudge, they're opting for a blanket "no change" policy 
. It's not super surprising given Hochul is up for re-election next year and probably doesn't want to make any waves in her campaign 
...
. I was really looking forward to trying out that congestion pricing system, but now it's all messed up 
. It's pretty disappointing that the governor is being so stubborn about it 
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. It's gonna make things worse, especially on holidays when people are already frazzled 
. I mean, who doesn't hate driving in traffic? But do we really need to punish drivers even more by slapping them with an extra fee? It just seems like another example of the MTA trying to nickel-and-dime its way out of congestion problems 
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Hochul just stuck with the status quo, no attempt to address the root causes of congestion. what's next? raising taxes even more? 
. I get that they wanna make some cash for the MTA, but come on, don't they want people to actually use public transport during peak hours? It's like, you gotta encourage people to ditch their cars and hop on the bus or train, right? But with these tolls, it just seems like more of a hassle. I mean, who wants to deal with congestion pricing on top of everything else? It's already stressful enough navigating through Manhattan during rush hour 
