Friday’s Headlines: Ms. Hochul Goes to Washington Edition
Gov. Hochul heads to Washington, D.C. today to meet with President Trump. She told reporters on Thursday that congestion pricing would one of several topics on the agenda, along with tariffs and Penn Station.
“He knows I want to talk about congestion pricing again,” Hochul said on Thursday.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said a proposed gas pipeline between Pennsylvania and New York is also on the agenda.
“Kathy Hochul, very nice woman; she’s coming in tomorrow morning at nine o’clock to meet me on that and other things,” the president said, in reference to the pipeline project, according to Reuters.
Despite her move to stall the launch of congestion pricing last year, Hochul is now one of its strongest proponents. After the Trump administration illegally ordered New York to shut down the tolling program, Hochul vowed, “The cameras are staying on.”
Federal officials set a deadline of March 21 for New York to kill the program. Hochul and the MTA have so far refused to budge. The governor has plenty of good news to share with Trump about the toll: Traffic speeds are up. Broadway is booming, as is Manhattan’s economy. Noise complaints in the toll zone are down. And traffic isn’t spilling over into the outer boroughs.
Will any of that matter to the president? Probably not — but good for the governor to try.
In other news:
- Gothamist followed Streetsblog’s exclusive on DOT’s new policy to allow mopeds on the Brooklyn and Queensboro bridge roadways.
- City in crisis? New York’s population is growing again. (NY Times, Gothamist)
- DOT wants your input on where to site new Citi Bike stations in Bay Ridge. (Andrew Gounardes via X)
- Another illegally parked car blocked FDNY access to a fire hydrant during a massive fire in the Bronx. (Daily News, Fox 5 NY)
- Streetsblog gets action: Lithium-ion battery fires are down 67 percent this year. (Henry Rosoff via X)
- A man assailed by Big Apple tabloids as “the subway ninja” in 2022 is ready to tell his side of the story. (NY Times)
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