Congestion Pricing Returns to Save the MTA and Destroy New York
On January 25, 2025 the Congestion pricing toll will start taking money from anyone driving from 60th street down to the end of lower Manhattan. The plan is to force New Yorkers into the Mass Transit system and make those who don’t comply to pay a fine for not doing so. Sure this will generate money for the MTA but is it right and what’s next? I have been saying this from day one, ” If you live in the outer Boroughs, Long Island, Westchester or Upstate and think this does not affect you because “I don’t drive down to that area of New York” you’re wrong! “You better believe this bad idea will take off and you’ll soon see a toll on a road in your neighborhood”. On top of that, if you do take Mass Transit, crime is up and there is no plan to increase bus or subway service in fact they plan on cutting 10 Dispatcher posts throughout the 5 Boros, which will cause more bus operators assaults and late buses.
TSO members that drive into this area will now pay more than $2,100 a year just to go to work. And for those that own a business in the toll zone, they will absolutely lose business from customers that will now just go elsewhere and those businesses that do survive, the owners will pass along all the extra costs onto those that patronize their establishment.
How did the MTA get to the point where they are Billions of dollars in debt? It wasn’t us, the workers, the ones that keep the bus and subway system running 24/7/365, it was Management! They broke it and now they expect everyone to help them pay to fix it. On top of all of this there is no plan to make those that use the bus and subway system to pay more. The congestion pricing plan is garbage and I hope President Trump kills it as he said he would do.
Philip Valenti
President
https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2024/11/15/businesses-react-to-new-congestion-pricing-plan
