Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt joined several of his downstate colleagues, Senators Mario Mattera, Anthony Palumbo, and Alexis Weik, along with members of the Suffolk and Nassau County Governments, in opposition to “Congestion Pricing” that could add an additional $34.50 per day for motorists and $82 a day for commercial vehicles, according to an MTA study. The group held their press conference in front of the Hicksville train station on August 16.
The MTA plan is designed to ease congestion by disincentivizing travel to Manhattan during peak times. The pricing scheme still has charges for traveling off-peak and at night.
Drivers would have a large incentive to use E-ZPass, saving roughly $10 during peak time compared to their non-EZ-Pass cohorts.
The MTA also projects that this could drastically increase the ridership of the Long Island Railroad, a possibility that would be inequitable for riders of the Port Jefferson Branch who have less frequent train service and a mandatory transfer.
“For all of the everyday New Yorkers that commute to the city to work hard and provide for their families, we must repeal this Congestion Pricing tax. Currently, Democratic Senators are aligning themselves with out-of-touch New York City politicians,” said Ortt. “While Long Islanders and New Yorkers struggle to keep up with record inflation, this is nothing more than a callous commuter tax that will siphon even more money away from hardworking New York families and commuters.”
“I want to thank Minority Leader Ortt and our Republican Leaders in Albany for fighting to protect us from Governor Hochul and the NYS Senate and Assembly majorities. Once again, Long Islanders will bear the brunt of the financial burden for New York City and New York State. These misguided policies and unfounded taxes are destroying small businesses. We ask Governor Hochul: where is the help for Long Island?” said Suffolk County Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey.
In 2019, New York City Senate Democrats, with the support of Long Island Democrat Senators Anna Kaplan, John Brooks, Kevin Thomas, James Gaughran, and Todd Kaminsky, pushed and passed the Congestion Pricing Plan. Last week, the Central Business District Tolling Program in charge of overseeing tolls within the Metropolitan area announced tolls could go as high as $34.50 per day. Members of the Senate Republican Conference have introduced S8136, which would fully repeal the congestion pricing plan.
“This unjust tax will impact the daily lives of our residents who are already dealing with out-of-control inflation and add more stress to our families. That is unfair to our region, and it must be stopped now,” said Senator Mario R. Mattera.
Senator Weik added that “Thousands of Long Islanders – including NYPD officers and other members of law enforcement – are already enduring high gas prices and jam-packed highways because they have no alternative to getting to work in the city.”
“The last thing struggling Long Islanders, who are facing record inflation and high gas prices, need is to be hit with another tax hike. Higher taxes for commuters will place additional strains on family budgets and hurt our ability to get people back to the city,” said Senator Anthony Palumbo.
Suffolk County Comptroller John Kennedy passionately laid out how much money Suffolk County pays to New York State.
“In 2021, the County of Suffolk sent $121 million in mortgage tax to the MTA. In 2021, the County of Suffolk sent $3.5 million of taxpayer dollars for that heinous payroll tax that came right out of the pockets of hardworking men and women of Suffolk. And on top of it all, the bill for station maintenance this year from this misguided, out-of-control authority, is $20 million to service stations that were closed because trains weren’t running. If ever there was an example of an agency that is out of control and simply looking to be fed as a beast to take taxpayer dollars, it is the MTA. Congestion pricing is nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It will impact their livelihood,” said Kennedy.
The delegation of officials also brought up the impact that Long Island farmers could feel since congestion pricing would apply to the commercial vehicles bringing produce to Manhattan.
The delegation urged motorists to make their voices heard at the public hearings on the MTA proposed plan scheduled to take place on August 25, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31.
“New Yorkers must stand together and voice their opposition to congestion pricing – it’s simply the wrong solution for rebuilding our New York City post-pandemic. Leaders should be focused on restoring public safety, encouraging a return to work, lowering MTA construction costs and making the region more affordable for everyone,” concluded Senator Ortt.
