Though state leaders have not ironed out the details, they had reached consensus that the plan was needed to help pay for much-needed repairs to the city’s beleaguered subway system.
They said the proceeds from congestion pricing would enable the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the city’s public transit network, to raise billions of dollars in bonds to modernize the antiquated subway. Such a windfall overwhelmed lingering concerns about various aspects of the plan, including the cost to suburban commuters who rely on cars.
“Safe to say that the Assembly is ready to go forward on congestion pricing,” Carl Heastie, the chamber’s speaker, said Monday; the Democratic-controlled Assembly had been the holdout in endorsing the plan. “We’re at the point where Assembly members understand the need to fund the MTA.”
The state Senate, which is also controlled by Democrats, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have already expressed support for congestion pricing, with the governor suggesting that without it subway and bus fares could rise by 30 percent. In late February, Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has an uneasy relationship with Cuomo, also warmed to the idea, saying there was no way to address the problems in the subway “without congestion pricing.”
Other U.S. cities are exploring variations of congestion pricing, which has helped unclog streets in London, Stockholm and Singapore, but has been assailed by drivers and critics in the United States as an unfair tax that especially hurts poor people who do not have access to public transit.
Heastie and other legislative officials stressed that specifics about the plan, including the exact price for entering Manhattan’s main business districts, were still being worked out, though he seemed confident that such issues could be resolved, likely before the state’s budget deadline on April 1.
Suburban lawmakers have raised objections about the financial effect on those driving into the city and have also sought to ensure that some of the money from congestion pricing go to commuter railroads. But they now also seemed ready to make a deal.
“Long Island senators have stated clearly that a fair and equitable congestion pricing plan must include a dedicated revenue stream for infrastructure upgrades to the beleaguered LIRR,” said Sen. Todd Kaminsky, who represents Nassau County. “I am optimistic that an agreement can be reached that benefits both the region and the suburban commuter.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.