Earth to Albany: Don’t Pander to Every Driver in the City with Toll Exemptions

It’s unanimous.

No one who cares about good governance, equity, traffic calming, safety, livable streets, democracy, the climate or the rule of law supports carving out exemptions from congestion pricing for various special interest groups of drivers.

‭In a letter signed by 22 organizations, the state’s leading governance groups demanded that the legislature reject 17 — seventeen! — legislative proposals to eliminate the $9 congestion pricing toll for someone, including cops, firefighters, workers, Orange County residents, taxi drivers, marine pilots, nurses and, in one bill, everyone.

“Our groups strongly oppose these bills, many of which seek to exempt special interest‬‭ groups who enter the central business district with their personal vehicles from‬‭ congestion pricing tolls,” the letter states. “All‬ of these bills would result in less revenue for MTA capital projects, increased traffic congestion, and worse air quality – the three main pillars of the congestion pricing‬ program.‬”

The letter reminds lawmakers that the Traffic Mobility Review Board — which was created by the legislature to decide the cost of the toll and hand out exemptions — evaluated scores of requests for “get out of toll free” cars, but ultimately granted very few exemptions, following a three-step code of conduct:

• Serve the many, not the few.‬
• ‭Act as fairly as possible.‬
• Keep tolls as low as possible by limiting toll exemptions for special interests.‬

Exempting one group or another would have a direct cost on other city taxpayers, while also undermining congestion pricing.

The Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA and Regional Plan Association found that exempting municipal workers would cost $140 million/year under the original $15 toll. And exempting just NYPD employees from the updated $9 toll would cost $22 million.

Every exemption cuts into the hundreds of millions that congestion pricing must raise in order to underwrite billions of dollars in repairs to the subway and commuter rail system that serve as the arteries for the economic heart of the United States.

“‬It would be contrary to notions of basic fairness to pass these bills and reward special‬ interests with massive handouts that will ultimately be paid by other toll payers or‬‭ taxpayers,” said the letter, which was signed by (in alphabetical order)‭ American Institute of Architects New York, Bike New York‬, Citizens Budget Commission‬‭, Common Cause NY‬, Environmental Defense Fund‬‭, Move NY‬‭, Natural Resources Defense Council‬, New York Building Congress‬‭, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance‬, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest‬‭, New York League of Conservation Voters‬‭, Open Plans‬, Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, Real Estate Board of New York‬‭, Regional Plan Association‬‭, Reinvent Albany‬, Riders Alliance‬, Rise and Resist Elevator Action Group‬‭, Sam Schwartz‬‭ (yes, the Sam Schwartz), StreetsPAC‬, Tri-State Transportation Campaign‬‭ and Transportation Alternatives‬.