NEW YORK — The head of the Trucking Association of New York (TANY) said late Wednesday, June 5, that the organization’s lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transit Authority over a Manhattan congestion toll is still on despite Gov. Kathy Hochul’s announcement that the toll’s enactment has been paused.
“The Trucking Association of New York welcomes news that Gov. Kathy Hochul has indefinitely postponed the implementation of the state’s ill-conceived congestion pricing plan,” TANY President Kendra Hems wrote in a news release. “We are proud to have played a key role in highlighting the widespread harm the current proposal would have inflicted — not only on the trucking industry, but on small businesses and consumers on both sides of the Hudson — had it been implemented as scheduled.
In the news release, TANY called the congestion pricing plan, as written, unconstitutional and said it unfairly targets trucking and logistics companies, which are charged higher rates than passenger vehicles.
“Given the uncertainty surrounding the plan’s future, we are not dropping our lawsuit against the MTA at this time,” the news release stated. “To be clear: Any future iteration or implementation of congestion pricing must include reform to protect the trucking industry and the supply chain to prevent increased economic hardship for all New Yorkers.”
Hochul said that while she remains committed to the toll program’s environmental goals, implementing it now as New York City is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic “risked too many unintended consequences for New Yorkers at this time.”
The tolling program had been scheduled to start June 30.
Under the finalized plan, trucks would be subject to a charge of $24 or $36 per trip into the congestion zone below 60th Street in Manhattan, depending on their size, compared to just $15 per day for passenger vehicles.
New York would have become the first U.S. city to join a handful globally with similar congestion pricing schemes, including London, Stockholm, Milan and Singapore, which is credited with pioneering the first such program in 1975.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
