Tanya Rivero has the latest from the Upper East Side.
NEW YORK (WABC) — The Trump administration’s move to end congestion pricing on Wednesday was greeted by sighs of relief and groans of dismay after the controversial toll hit a roadblock just seven weeks after launching.
The U.S. Department of Transportation withdrew its approval for the MTA’s toll program, the first of its kind in the United States, fulfilling President Donald Trump’s promise to reverse the policy.
The MTA is fighting the decision in federal court, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said congestion pricing was still in effect. Regardless of the final outcome, reaction was swift and reflected sharp public divisions about the toll.
Around Manhattan, the program’s home base, the news bubbled positive and negative feelings to the surface.
To some, like Tim Allen, the news meant he would no longer be “nickeled and dimed.”
“This city is built on small people,” he said. “We’re running out of money.”
Taxi and Uber drivers, along with delivery workers, say the toll’s elimination will make it easier for them to move around again. Yet the policy has its proponents, who argued the toll was in the city’s best interest.
In New Jersey, politicians and residents campaigned against the toll for months before its implementation. Now, the news they had long sought had arrived.
“We said from day one, which was acknowledged today and this decision, that this was nothing but a cash grab for New York and their mismanaged MTA,” said New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer.
Some drivers from the Garden State took a more conciliatory stance, conceding that the toll program reduced traffic in Manhattan, along with shorter commutes and quicker trips home. But the dent in wallets still hurt, especially for working people.
“When congestion pricing was up, I was able to get in from Brooklyn to the city in 20 minutes,” said commuter Chris Hough. “So now I probably have to get up an extra 30 minutes just to make it to the city and (find) parking as well. It kind of goes both ways.”
Anthony Johnson reports from Jersey City.
On Long Island, some politicians declared victory. Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin pointed out that the town’s lawsuit was cited in the letter Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent to Hochul announcing the termination.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a supporter of Trump, shared Clavin’s sentiments.
“I’m concerned that if we don’t stop this in lower Manhattan, what’s to stop the governor and the state from putting congestion pricing in on the LIE or the Southern State,” he said.
Chanteé Lans has the latest from Carle Place.
But some commuters who may have been opposed initially have awakened to the benefits, said Ben Furnas, the executive director of Transportation Alternatives.
“66% of New Yorkers who drive regularly into Manhattan now support the program so I think this is bad politics, bad policy,” Furnas said. “Donald Trump needs to let New Yorkers determine their own destiny, and we are really hoping and expecting Governor Hochul is going to fight this every step of the way.”
RELATED | Nearly 27K less vehicles in Manhattan’s Central Business District amid congestion pricing: MTA
The latest figures on the recently enacted congestion pricing.
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