{"id":266,"date":"2024-07-15T23:44:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T23:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/shaun-abreu\/?p=266"},"modified":"2024-07-16T14:40:21","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T14:40:21","slug":"columbia-spectator-columbia-experts-local-officials-express-concern-about-hochuls-pause-on-congestion-pricing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/shaun-abreu\/2024\/07\/15\/columbia-spectator-columbia-experts-local-officials-express-concern-about-hochuls-pause-on-congestion-pricing\/","title":{"rendered":"Columbia Spectator: Columbia experts, local officials express concern about Hochul\u2019s pause on congestion pricing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Read the full article here.<\/a><\/p>\n

By Jesse Levine<\/strong><\/p>\n

Public health and legal experts at Columbia and Manhattan local officials have expressed concern over New York Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s snap June 5 decision to direct the MTA to \u201cindefinitely pause\u201d New York City\u2019s congestion pricing plan, previously scheduled to go into effect on June 30 and fund $15 billion in capital improvements to the MTA network.<\/p>\n

The plan established a \u201cCongestion Relief Zone<\/a>,\u201d which was set to span from 60th Street to the southern tip of Manhattan, excluding the Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive, West Side Highway\/Route 9A, and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel. Vehicles entering the Congestion Relief Zone would be tolled an amount dependent on the type of vehicle, time of day, whether any crossing credits were applied, and the payment method.<\/p>\n

For example, the toll for a passenger or small commercial vehicle entering the zone during peak period\u2014from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends\u2014would be $15.<\/p>\n

The money that would have been generated by the congestion pricing fund was set to fund $15 billion in capital improvements to the MTA network, which, as of June 20, has $46.7 billion of outstanding debt. Projects that were eligible to be funded at least in part from congestion pricing revenue included increasing accessibility throughout transit systems, bus electrification, elevator and escalator replacements, and the extension of the Second Avenue subway into East Harlem.<\/p>\n

There are no ADA-accessible 1 train stations<\/a> in Manhattan between 96th Street and Dyckman Street. Community activists in Morningside Heights and West Harlem have put pressure<\/a> on Columbia for years to contribute to accessibility upgrades at the 125th Street subway station.<\/p>\n

While the 125th Street station was not included among the stations scheduled to receive accessibility upgrades with the funds brought in by the revenue generated from the congestion pricing plan, the 137th Street station was slated to receive a new elevator, according to the MTA\u2019s website. The upgrades to the 137th Street station were originally scheduled to finish by December 2023 but were pushed back<\/a> until March 2025.<\/p>\n

Hochul cited<\/a> rising prices in the state for goods and services, such as groceries and child care, as well as changing circumstances in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in her decision to pause the congestion pricing program. Alluding to these increased financial pressures, Hochul said in a June 5 statement<\/a> that she could not \u201cadd another burden to working- and middle-class New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

But some legal experts have said that Hochul does not have the authority to halt the congestion pricing plan. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has assembled a coalition of legal experts and potential plaintiffs, led by Michael Gerrard, the Andrew Sabin professor of professional practice at the Law School, to explore possible legal paths to challenge Hochul\u2019s decision, according to a June 30 statement<\/a> from Lander and Gerrard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe that Governor Hochul is violating the state law that says the MTA \u2018shall implement\u2019 congestion pricing,\u201d Gerrard said in an interview with Spectator. \u201cWe don\u2019t think the governor has the authority to supersede that statute.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Traffic Mobility & MTA Reform Act of 2019<\/a>, which was adopted by the New York State Legislature and signed by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, mandates that the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, an operating agency of the MTA now known as Bridges and Tunnels, \u201cshall establish the central business district tolling program.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hochul\u2019s office did not respond to repeated requests for comment.<\/p>\n

Lander and Gerrard\u2019s coalition is developing lawsuits on the basis of several statutes, including Article 78 of New York Civil Practice Law and Rules<\/a>, which challenges agency actions or inactions in the state of New York.<\/p>\n

Columbia experts have also raised concerns regarding Hochul\u2019s decision to pause the plan beyond the legality of her actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne aspect of the congestion pricing plan that hasn\u2019t been talked about very much is this aspect of roadway safety,\u201d Leah Roberts, a data analyst at the Geospatial and Applied Prevention Science Lab at the Mailman School of Public Health, said.<\/p>\n

Roberts is the first author of a recent study<\/a> that found that \u201cturn traffic calming interventions\u201d\u2014treatments meant to encourage safe turns at intersections\u2014may significantly reduce crash risk for pedestrians in New York City. The findings, published in Injury Prevention, a peer-reviewed journal, suggest that turn traffic calming interventions may be particularly effective in areas prone to speeding, such as intersections connected to long street segments.<\/p>\n

These traffic interventions are part of New York City\u2019s Vision Zero initiative, which was established in 2014 and aims to eliminate death and serious injury from traffic incidents, according to the New York City Department of Transportation\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think, in effect, halting the congestion pricing plan will prevent us from seeing a lot of those potential benefits to road user safety in New York,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n

Although the Congestion Relief Zone would not include any of Columbia\u2019s campuses or West Harlem, the benefits of fewer cars on the road could have spilled over beyond the relief zone itself, Roberts said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s as simple as that\u2014fewer vehicles means a lower likelihood of pedestrian-vehicle collisions,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n

Local officials were among many politicians who voiced their concerns over Hochul\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

New York City Council member Shaun Abreu, CC \u201914\u2014who represents Manhattan\u2019s 7th District, which includes Morningside Heights and West Harlem\u2014wrote in a June 5 X post<\/a> that \u201cThe lack of foresight in canceling the congestion pricing plan is alarming.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Read the full article here.<\/a><\/p>\n

By Jesse Levine<\/strong><\/p>\n

Public health and legal experts at Columbia and Manhattan local officials have expressed concern over New York Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s snap June 5 decision to direct the MTA to \u201cindefinitely pause\u201d New York City\u2019s congestion pricing plan, previously scheduled to go into effect on June 30 and fund $15 billion in capital improvements to the MTA network.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

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