The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), New York City’s public transit agency is expected to implement a controversial congested price area in Manhattan in the spring of next year. The main objective of toll collection is to reduce traffic volume and encourage passengers to use public transport. Now, a lawsuit by the New Jersey government could delay or completely stop the area’s implementation.
New shirt Governor Phil Murphy has announced that the state plans to sue the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) over its approval of the city’s congestion charge plan. According to NJ.com, Murphy believes the agency’s environmental assessment of the proposal is lackluster. The state is asking for a full review.
One notable example cites the estimated impact of traffic being diverted to the George Washington Bridge to avoid the area. Drivers will be charge up to $23 for driving into the Manhattan impact area south of 60th Street. The FHWA assessment found that no further mitigation is needed for the potential increase in air pollution in North Jersey, but New York has proposed funding to offset the health impacts in the Bronx on the other side of the bridge.
However, Murphy’s complaint about the congestion charge zone goes far beyond the scope of the lawsuit. The governor has announced that the MTA is using New Jersey commuters to pay for public transit improvements that don’t benefit them. He’s right. NJ Transit and PATH will receive no revenue from the region. Instead of trying to negotiate a revenue-sharing deal to improve public transit options into the city from the Garden State, he’d ideally like the plan to be scrapped.
Danny Pearlstein, Director of Policy and Communications at NYC’s Riders Alliance tell NJ.com:
“Governor Murphy is engaged in a cynical ploy to distract from his own gross negligence in running the underfunded and unreliable NJ Transit system and his climate denialism, exemplified by his $10 billion Turnpike expansion planned to exacerbate traffic congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions in Jersey City.”
Congestion pricing zones have been proven to work in cities around the world. London’s Congestion Charge Area has been in effect for 20 years. An FHWA report claims that traffic congestion has been reduced by 25 per cent in London. Carbon dioxide pollution also fell by 20 per cent in the British capital. Most importantly, the average vehicle speed increased by 30 percent.
