It may now be the centerpiece of his plan to fund the MTA, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo is going to have his hands full getting congestion pricing past the state Legislature, judging by lawmakers’ skeptical reaction at a hearing Wednesday. And with good reason.
It’s been a year since a Cuomo-convened panel endorsed congestion pricing chiefly as a way to ease traffic on Manhattan streets. Now it’s become the gov’s cure-all for fixing mass transit’s substantial woes.
But Cuomo hasn’t done much to make his case, let alone to sell the plan to outer-borough and suburban lawmakers, who legitimately fear the burden will fall on their car-dependent constituents.
As Politico notes, the gov’s minions haven’t released an in-depth analysis to back up his claim that congestion pricing will generate $1 billion a year for the MTA. How high will the tolls be? How many drivers will have to pay them? No details from Team Cuomo.
Yes, the governor made congestion pricing a central feature of his budget presentation last month, but only to declare that all of the money raised will go to the MTA, with nothing for New York City to support its aging road and bridge infrastructure — of which Cuomo proposes to seize full control.
As for Mayor Bill de Blasio, he’s essentially abdicated any role in this fight, merely falling back on his tired call for a “millionaire’s tax,” this time to fund the MTA.
A smart congestion pricing plan might be economically sound. But, as the Manhattan Institute’s Nicole Gelinas notes, Cuomo’s plan wouldn’t even come close to funding the MTA’s $40 billion Fast Forward modernization plan — supposedly the major reason it’s needed. The money is unlikely to even fully close the coming gaps in the MTA’s routine operating budget.
The gov is pouring so many things into this “plan,” with so few details made public, that it’s looking less like a serious policy proposal and more like a Trojan Horse for yet another power grab.
If Cuomo means to make this a reality, he’d better start providing some real answers to the growing legion of critics.
