Dear Editor,
Suffolk County LIRR commuters, drivers, and taxpayers beware. Since 2019, the party-line stance was it would require a $15 toll for Congestion Pricing to raise $15 billion. This would help fund the MTA $51 billion 2020 – 2024 Five Year Capital Plan. Now five years later, Governor Hochul (D) claims that the same $15 billion can be found with a $9 toll. She proudly boasts that this 40% reduction in the price will save commuters and taxpayers a significant amount of money. How do you justify the change in math five years later? No details were provided at Hochul’s press conference to explain this. The MTA Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey periodically raise bridge and tunnel tolls. It will be the same with MTA Congestion Pricing before reaching $15. So much for truth in advertising.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Great Neck
Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian, and writer who previously served as a former Director for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management. This included the development, review, approval and oversight for billions in capital projects and programs for NJ Transit, MTA, NYC Transit bus, subway, and Staten Island Railway, Long Island and Metro North Rail Roads, MTA Bus, NYCDOT Staten Island Ferry along with thirty other transit agencies in New York and New Jersey.
