Everyone hates Manhattan traffic, but there’s one thing New Jersians and Long Islanders despite even more: Literally any measure to mitigate Manhattan traffic. Congestion pricing has been an unmitigated boon for the city, lessening traffic and adding revenue for the MTA, but one rich guy and a handful of Jersey residents don’t like it, so Donald Trump’s team is looking at making it disappear.
A report from the New York Times, citing administration insiders, says the Trump camp is weighing measures that would end congestion pricing in New York City. The move would be an unprecedented level of federal meddling in not just state but local affairs, but its action or inaction seems to depend on one person: Kathy Hochul, the Governor who herself tried to kill congestion pricing last year. From the NYT:
No final decision has been made but President Trump had vowed to halt congestion pricing once he entered office, saying it was harmful to the city’s economy. The program’s opponents have urged Mr. Trump to re-examine it, with Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey calling it “a disaster for working- and middle-class New Jersey commuters and residents” in a letter to Mr. Trump last week.
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Ms. Hochul and Mr. Trump have spoken twice this week including on Thursday morning. They discussed a range of issues including congestion pricing, according to a person familiar with the matter, with the governor conveying to Mr. Trump that the program was showing signs of success.
President Trump told Ms. Hochul, the person said, that there would be no immediate action and that before any decisions were made they should touch base again next week.
The Times spoke with legal experts, who said that the legality of such a move would be deeply suspect. The federal government does have power over the territories within the States, but this level of nitpicking would be novel. The really confusing part, though, is just what the appeal of the move is. Having recently taken New Jersey Transit myself, I can confirm: It may be worse than our MTA, but it still beats driving any day.