NYC congestion pricing back on track after judge denies injunction to halt controversial toll plan

Leonard Greene, New York Daily News on Dec 23, 2024

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Congestion pricing moved back to the express lane on Monday after a Manhattan federal judge declined a request for a preliminary injunction to stop the controversial tolling plan, which is slated to go into effect early next month.

Judge Lewis Liman didn’t rule on a motion to dismiss a legal challenge to the plan altogether.

Instead, he denied a request to tap the brakes on the measure after hearing arguments against the plan Friday from four different groups, including Staten Island borough president Vito Fossella, United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew and the Trucking Association of New York, a trade group representing delivery companies.

A group called New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax is also trying to derail the measure.

“We are disappointed, but not that surprised, that the judge denied our request for an injunction in our lawsuit against congestion pricing, with less than two weeks to spare before the program begins,” Fossella said in a statement.

That means the MTA measure that would charge most drivers $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th St. remains on track for a Jan. 5 start.

After scrapping the plan in June out of concern for the wallets of “everyday people,” Gov. Hochul put it back on the table with a lower price tag.

Instead of charging drivers $15 as originally planned, the new toll would collect $9 from motorists with a goal of reducing traffic and pollution while funding improvements to New York City’s mass transit system.

Supporters say the clock is ticking, because President-elect Donald Trump, whose Midtown tower sits within the congestion pricing zone, has vowed to derail the toll once he is back in the White House.

But that won’t happen until Jan. 20, by which time supporters hope congestion pricing would be well underway.

Meanwhile, New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler has promised to back legislation denying the MTA federal funds while the toll collection plan is in effect.

Opponents argue that the toll is a financial burden for commuters, hurts small businesses, and shifts traffic and pollution to other parts of the city and region.

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