“We will see you in court” was the immediate response from New York’s transit authority and Governor Kathy Hochul after the Trump administration moved to shut down New York City’s congestion pricing plan.
The administration’s attempt to overturn the newly implemented US$9 toll for driving into Manhattan triggered swift backlash, setting the stage for a legal battle. Within minutes of the announcement, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), which oversees the tolls, filed a 51-page complaint [pdf] in a federal court.
“The administration’s efforts to summarily and unilaterally overturn the considered determinations of the political branches—federal, state, and city—are unlawful, and the Court should declare that they are null and void,” the MTA wrote.
Trump Checks Off List
Reversing the toll had been one of Trump’s campaign promises, his complaint being that it would deter visitors and businesses from entering Manhattan. In a five-page letter to Hochul, U.S. transportation secretary Sean Duffy identified “the President’s concerns about the impacts to working class Americans who now have an additional financial burden to account for in their daily lives,” and the “unfairness” of a financing mechanism that directs revenues generated toward “the transit system as opposed to the highways,” as reasons behind the move to revoke federal approval for the program.
Implemented January 5, the toll was expected to bring in roughly $1 billion each year to help the MTA refurbish its public transit systems, while addressing concerns about gridlock, lengthy commute times, and air pollution.
“Congestion pricing is dead,” Trump wrote on Truth Social February 19. “Manhattan, and all of New York, is saved.”
His sign-off, “LONG LIVE THE KING!” was reposted by the White House on social media, accompanied with a mock-up magazine cover of Trump with a crown on his head.
Back in New York, Hochul responded at a press briefing: “I’m here to say New York hasn’t laboured under a king in over 250 years. We are not subservient to a king or anyone else out of Washington.”
“If in some world they are successful, the next time you’re stuck in traffic, your train is delayed, think about this,” Hochul added, holding up the White House graphic of King Trump.
In an earlier social media post, the governor said, “We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. The MTA has initiated legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York to preserve this critical program. We’ll see you in court.”
Initial Positive Results
In its court submission, the MTA argues that New Yorkers have been trying to tackle congestion and its associated problems for over 50 years, and that “extensive deliberation” led to the consensus that congestion pricing was the most effective tool for achieving the city’s goals.
“In a matter of weeks, the Program has already achieved remarkable results: traffic congestion and commute times have materially fallen; more people are visiting Manhattan’s commercial districts and supporting the region’s businesses; and the MTA’s vital mass transit system is seeing the benefit of increased funding,” writes the MTA.
Transit analyst and lower Manhattan resident Charles Komanoff echoed that assessment in an op-ed for the Washington Spectator.
“So much winning,” he wrote, adding a laundry list of benefits including: “Unjammed bridges and tunnels. Speedier deliveries. On-time buses. Calmer, more inviting streets. Fewer traffic crashes. Repairmen getting to more jobs.”
Supporters of congestion pricing are preparing for a prolonged fight, reports Bloomberg, quoting Betsy Plum, executive director of Riders Alliance.
“Public transit riders won congestion relief and are now enjoying faster and more reliable bus service from throughout New York and New Jersey,” Plum said in a public statement. “We are committed to maintaining and expanding on our victory and will defend it with everything we have.”
