NYC continues congestion pricing toll despite federal deadline to suspend it

The deadline for New York City to end its congestion pricing program passed yesterday

but the tolls remain in place. This is now the second time New York Governor Kathy Hochul

and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have opted not to comply with a White House

directive to suspend the tolling system. In a statement, a spokesperson for Hochul defended

the tolls, saying, quote, the program is working, traffic is down, business is up

and the cameras are staying on. The plan charges most cars entering Manhattan below 60th Street

a total of $9 during peak hours, generating nearly $50 million in January alone

80% of which is required to be spent on improvements for the city's public transit systems

However, the U.S. Department of Transportation is pushing back. On Monday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a letter to Hochul warning of, quote

serious consequences if the state does not stop the program or provide legal justification for its continuation by May 21st

funding and project approvals. Tensions over the tolling system began in February, when federal

officials revoked their earlier approval of the program, arguing it unfairly burdens working-class

Americans. In response, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the government's reversal and has indicated the tolls will remain

in place pending a formal decision from the courts, which may not come until late October

Last week, a series of legal challenges brought by consumer advocacy groups against the toll system were struck down in federal court

although these organizations have vowed to refile their suits. Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation says it will continue to fight what it describes as an unlawful tax on hardworking Americans

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Jack Elmer