New York governor delays plan to fund transit and fight traffic with big tolls on Manhattan drivers
By Jake Offenhartz And Philip Marcelo, The Associated Press on June 5, 2024.
NEW YORK (AP) – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday indefinitely delayed implementation of a plan to charge motorists big tolls to enter the core of Manhattan, just weeks before the nation’s first “congestion pricing” system was set to launch. The move marks a stunning reversal for public transit advocates who had championed the tolls as a way of raising billions of dollars for New York’s beleaguered subway and commuter rail systems while reducing traffic in the city’s streets. Hochul said that while she remains committed to the program’s environmental goals, implementing it now as New York City is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic “risked too many unintended consequences for New Yorkers at this time.” The tolling program had been scheduled to start June 30. 5-4
