Local youths descended on Brooklyn’s Barclays Center Sunday morning to call on Gov. Kathy Hochul to reverse course and allow congestion pricing to proceed, as they expressed disquiet for a future that will be defined by climate change.
The youngsters of varying ages, backed by adults who advocate for transit and the environment, say they are worried that Hochul’s decision to indefinitely pause the Manhattan toll program (which would fund MTA improvements) is putting both their commutes and their futures at risk.
“The governor has to reverse this decision,” said Keanu Arpels-Josiah, a high school senior and organizer with Fridays for Future NYC. “This could have led the nation. This is political chess. The climate is worsening every day. New York has the right to reverse fifty years of bad behavior.”
By installing a toll to enter Manhattan’s central business district, congestion pricing was supposed to reduce car trips and funnel money into mass transit improvements.
The policy was expected to reduce car dependence in the New York area, and by extension lead to a drop in air pollution. Last week, the Federal Highway Administration said the approved congestion pricing plan would have reduced vehicle traffic in Manhattan by 17% and cause small drops throughout the New York metropolitan area in harmful pollutants, including carbon dioxide and noxious particulate matter.
The pause puts in question billions of dollars in transit improvements planned by the MTA, including expanding the Second Avenue Subway and modernizing old train signals, plus federally mandated work to make subway stations accessible for people with disabilities.
Now, City Comptroller Brad Lander and a coalition of advocates are threatening to sue the governor to force the program’s start, based at least in part on their theory the pause violates state climate laws.
