Local Officials Demand Congestion Toll Public Hearings in Hudson Valley

People wait to drive through the Holland Tunnel into New York during morning rush hour traffic in Jersey City, N.J., on March 8, 2023. Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo

All upcoming public hearings on the first-in-the-nation congestion toll will be hosted inside a skyscraper in lower Manhattan—an arrangement deemed unfair by suburban elected officials.

Public members can still join the hearings remotely and voice their opinions online.

“I believe that public hearings should happen in Hudson Valley, and not having one in our region tells us all we need to know about MTA’s priorities: namely, we are not one of them,” Assemblyman Karl Brabenec (R-District 98) told The Epoch Times.

Four hybrid public hearings are scheduled between late February and early March, after which the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board will vote on the congestion toll schedule.

Mr. Brabenec represents parts of Rockland and Orange counties, including Port Jervis, home to the last station on the Metro-North Railroad west of the Hudson River, whose train services down to New York City lag far behind those east of the river.

The proposed congestion toll will charge car commuters entering south of 60th Street $15 per day, including those in his district who have to drive due to insufficient public transportation, he said.

Discounts are available for tunnel crossings, night entries, and qualified low-income drivers, according to the proposed toll schedule.

Congressman Patrick Ryan (D-District 18) also lamented the inadequate train services in his district in a statement to The Epoch Times. “There is not a single MTA station in Ulster, there is still no one-seat service in Orange, and there is limited service in Dutchess,” he wrote.

“I am demanding that MTA hold in-person hearings in the Hudson Valley to hear firsthand from the working-class families whose opinions they’ve ignored for decades.”

“There absolutely ought to be hearings in the Hudson Valley,” Sen. James Skoufis (D-District 42) told The Epoch Times. “[That said,] the hearings will be hybrid, with a virtual component, and I am actively encouraging my constituents to make their voices heard.”

Without directly answering the demand for public hearings in Hudson Valley, an MTA spokesperson told The Epoch Times that part of the congestion toll revenue would be used for infrastructure improvements on the Metro-North Railroad, including two new passing sidings on the Port Jervis line.

The MTA also exempted Orange County from the recent rate hike and metropolitan commuter transportation mobility tax jump.

Rendering of a proposed mast arm housing tolling infrastructure and tolling system equipment over the roadway at Broadway between 60th and 61st streets in New York City. Courtesy of MTA

The congestion toll was authorized by New York state lawmakers in 2019 with the dual goal of reducing traffic and pollution and financing the public transit system in New York City, according to state legislative records.

After deducting administrative expenses, 80 percent of the remaining congestion toll proceeds will be used to improve New York City subways and buses, with the rest to be evenly split between Long Island and Metro-North Railroad, according to the MTA.

As of December 2023, more than half of the congestion toll infrastructure had been completed in New York City.

How to Submit a Public Comment

Besides public hearings, the public can also express their opinions on congestion toll rates through an online form, email, mail, phone, or fax before March 11.

A complete congestion toll schedule can be viewed at new.mta.info/document/129191.

Online: contact.mta.info/s/forms/CBDTP

Email: [email protected]

Mail: CBD Tolling Program, 2 Broadway, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10004

Phone: [phone]

Fax: Send to [phone] with Attention to CBDTP Team.

Public hearings will be hosted on Feb. 29, March 1, and March 4 at 2 Broadway in New York City and will be livestreamed on the MTA YouTube channel.