The latest cutoff date set by the Trump administration for New York Governor Kathy Hochul to pull the plug on the city’s congestion pricing policy has passed without any action.
Despite federal pressure, the city’s network of monitoring cameras is still fully operational, and the congestion pricing system remains in place.
Trump administration representatives had notified Hochul that failing to disable the cameras by Wednesday could lead to New York being stripped of federal funding and warned that the government “may implement compliance actions as soon as May 28.”
However, Hochul’s office refused to back down.
“Congestion pricing is lawful — and it’s effective. Traffic is down, business is up, and the cameras are staying on,” a spokesperson said.
CBS News interviewed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy following the lapse of the deadline to discuss how the administration might proceed.
“So we have until next week to decide how we’re gonna respond. But listen, of course it’s working. You’ve taxed people out of driving their cars, and the rich people are gonna drive. Elite systems, elitist systems, can work,” Duffy remarked.
Back in April, Duffy issued a formal notice to Governor Hochul stating that “New York risks serious consequences” if congestion pricing remained operational.
He warned that if the program continued beyond May 21 without a compelling explanation from Hochul, the Federal Highway Administration could, starting May 28:
• Suspend all new infrastructure developments in Manhattan that aren’t deemed critical for public safety
• Block environmental clearance for Manhattan-based projects, aside from safety-related ones
• Freeze any amendments to the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)
That said, Duffy has clarified in the past that two major undertakings—the Second Avenue Subway and the Hudson Tunnel Gateway—will not be affected by any punitive action.
The MTA issued a written response on Wednesday. In their correspondence, they asserted that Duffy had already made up his mind regarding congestion pricing, rendering the so-called dialogue meaningless.
They criticized the federal government’s approach, stating that Duffy revoked approval for the program without any proper notice or procedural fairness, arguing that this could not be rectified by what they called a “sham exchange of letters.”
The letter further maintained that congestion pricing is both legitimate and appropriate, and challenged Duffy’s legal right to shut it down or enforce the threatened measures.
Recent MTA figures show that more vehicles are entering the congestion zone compared to when the initiative first launched. On the first day, approximately 410,000 vehicles were recorded; by May 10, that number had risen to 524,000.
Nonetheless, the MTA reports that overall traffic levels within the zone are still 12% lower than they were before the program began.
{Matzav.com}