Thank you to the MTA for holding these final public hearings before implementation of the Central Business District Tolling Program, aka congestion pricing. When implemented, this program is set to be a win-win-win for our economy, environment, and people. It will boost our public transit, clean up our air, and make our streets safer.
As the MTA developed its proposal, I advocated for a fee structure that would include as few exceptions as possible, discourage “toll shopping,” and disincentivize polluting and dangerous trucks and cars without a local destination from travelling across our region. I support the MTA’s current plan, which meets these goals with a rational approach to pricing and a reduced-fare option for low-income drivers.
Implementation of this program is critical, as car ownership in NYC is up and the MTA faces a dire financial future, so I am concerned by the potential of recent lawsuits to slow the program’s implementation. The vast majority of New Yorkers stand to benefit from essential investments to our transit system, such as improved signaling to make trains faster and more reliable and installing new elevators to make more stations ADA-accessible.
The longer we delay, the longer my constituents in Bed Stuy, Crown Heights, and Coney Island go without accessibility upgrades to the trains they rely on; the longer stations along the F and N lines that need structural upgrades continue to fall into disrepair; and the longer communities living around bus depots in East New York and Sunset Park breathe polluted air that could be improved by electrification, to name a few key projects that hang in the balance.
New York is a transit, walking, and cycling city. Of our over 8 million residents, only 5,200 New Yorkers both live more than a half mile from transit and commute into the congestion zone by car. The revenue from congestion pricing will help improve transit in the outer boroughs and move us closer to a future where all New Yorkers live close to reliable transit.
In summary, for our city to continue to function, we must get people out of their cars and back onto reliable public transportation. Congestion pricing is set to be mutually beneficial for the city and region’s economy, transit system, traffic reduction efforts, and overall safety and quality of life – for Brooklynites and all New Yorkers.
Thank you again for holding this series of hearings. I look forward to continuing to partner with the MTA and our partners in Albany and the City Council to make our streets healthier and deliver world-class public transportation in Brooklyn.