Current:Home > InvestTransit and environmental advocates sue NY governor over decision to halt Manhattan congestion toll-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Transit and environmental advocates sue NY governor over decision to halt Manhattan congestion toll
View Date:2024-12-23 23:03:46
NEW YORK (AP) — Transit and environmental advocacy groups in New York filed lawsuits Thursday challenging Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to block a plan to reduce traffic and raise billions for the city’s ailing subway system through a new toll on Manhattan drivers.
The groups, which include the Riders Alliance, the Sierra Club, the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance and the City Club of New York, argue in their state Supreme Court suit that the Democrat violated the state’s laws and constitution when she indefinitely paused the fee citing economic concerns.
The program, which was set to begin June 30, would have imposed on drivers entering the core of Manhattan a toll of about $15, depending on vehicle type. The fee was projected to generate some $1 billion annually for transit improvements.
The New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, in its lawsuit with the Riders Alliance and the Sierra Club, said Hochul’s decision violated the part of the state constitution that guarantees New Yorkers the right to “clean air and water, and a healthful environment.”
“The people of New York City deserve to breathe,” the lawsuit states.
The City Club of New York, in its separate suit, called Hochul’s decision “quite literally, lawless” and lacking “any basis in the law as democratically enacted.”
It noted the toll had been approved by state lawmakers and signed into law by her predecessor, former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in 2019, following decades of advocacy and public debate.
“As powerful as a governor is, this Governor has no legal authority — none — to direct the Metropolitan Transportation Authority” to pause congestion pricing, the group stated in the suit.
Hochul, through a spokesperson, dismissed the lawsuits as political posturing.
“Get in line,” spokesperson Maggie Halley said in an email. “There are now 11 separate congestion pricing lawsuits filed by groups trying to weaponize the judicial system to score political points, but Governor Hochul remains focused on what matters: funding transit, reducing congestion, and protecting working New Yorkers.”
Groups ranging from a public teachers union to New Jersey residents and local truckers filed suits ahead of the program’s expected start date seeking to block it.
Hochul has maintained her decision was driven by economic concerns and conversations with everyday New Yorkers.
She’s also suggested raising taxes on businesses to make up for the billions of dollars in lost revenue for transit, a proposal lawmakers have rejected.
City Comptroller Brad Lander, who joined the groups in announcing the lawsuits Thursday, said New Yorkers will experience “increasing service cuts, gridlock, air quality alerts, and inaccessible stations” if the governor’s decision is allowed to stand.
Congestion pricing a “win-win-win” for New Yorkers because it would provide much needed revenue to make public transit “faster, more reliable and accessible” while also reducing “costly gridlock, carbon emissions, deadly collisions and toxic air pollution,” added Betsy Plum, executive director of the Riders Alliance.
Before her sudden about-face, Hochul had been a staunch advocate for the toll, even describing it as “transformative.”
The MTA had also already installed cameras, sensors and license plate readers for the program, and reached a contract worth more than $500 million with a private vendor to operate the tolling infrastructure.
veryGood! (226)
Related
- Elon Musk responds after Chloe Fineman alleges he made her 'burst into tears' on 'SNL'
- Police search for missing mother who vanished in Wylie, Texas without phone or car
- Sea turtle nests increased along a Florida beach but hurricanes washed many away
- Kirk Herbstreit announces death of beloved golden retriever Ben: 'We had to let him go'
- 12 college students charged with hate crimes after assault in Maryland
- NYC police search for a gunman who wounded a man before fleeing into the subway system
- Election overload? Here are some tips to quiet the noise on your social feeds
- Musk's 'golden ticket': Trump win could hand Tesla billionaire unprecedented power
- Barbora Krejcikova calls out 'unprofessional' remarks about her appearance
- AP VoteCast shows Trump boosted his level of support among Catholic voters
Ranking
- Judge hears case over Montana rule blocking trans residents from changing sex on birth certificate
- Zach Bryan, Brianna 'Chickenfry' LaPaglia controversy: From Golden Globes to breakup
- Christina Hall Officially Replaces Ex Josh Hall With Ex-Husband Ant Anstead on The Flip Off
- Police search for missing mother who vanished in Wylie, Texas without phone or car
- Why Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams May Be Rejoining the George R.R. Martin Universe
- 3 dead, including the suspect, after shooting in Pennsylvania apartment and 40-mile police chase
- DB Wealth Institute Introduce
- Liam Payne’s Friend Says He “Never Abandoned” Him After 3 People Are Charged in Connection to Case
Recommendation
-
Princess Kate to host annual Christmas carol service following cancer treatment
-
DB Wealth Institute Introduce
-
The 2025 Grammy Nominations Are Finally Here
-
College Football Playoff elimination games: Which teams desperately need Week 11 win?
-
How to protect your Social Security number from the Dark Web
-
Racist text messages referencing slavery raise alarms in multiple states and prompt investigations
-
Sea turtle nests increased along a Florida beach but hurricanes washed many away
-
Does Florida keeping Billy Napier signal how college football will handle coaching changes?