Hochul Halts Congestion Pricing in a Stunning 11th-Hour Shift
Weeks before New York was to charge motorists to enter Manhattan’s business district, Gov. Kathy Hochul postponed the program, citing economic concerns.
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York announced on Wednesday that she was shelving the long-awaited tolling plan known as congestion pricing, just weeks before it was to go into effect.
“After careful consideration I have come to the difficult decision that implementing the planned congestion pricing system risks too many unintended consequences,” Ms. Hochul said, adding: “I have directed the M.T.A. to indefinitely pause the program.”
The move angered environmentalists, transit advocates and economists, with some accusing the governor of abandoning a plan that was decades in the making for political reasons in a critical election year.
The decision, Ms. Hochul acknowledged, was not an easy one, but she said it was nonetheless crucial in light of the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic on working families and New York City’s economy.
