Congestion pricing is going just great | Sheneman

Congestion pricing is a tricky issue. It’s actually a pretty good idea that has been proven to reduce emissions and improve air quality with the added bonus of providing a recurring revenue source to bolster investment in mass transit.
But — and it’s a significant but — anytime you want to impose a user fee on a subsection of the commuting public, it’s going to raise a stink. Successful implementation of a congestion pricing plan would require a skilled politician with a deft hand and the ability to sell an unpopular plan to a skeptical public. Kathy Hochul is not that politician.
Hochul has made a real dog’s dinner out of congestion pricing. She was in favor of it until she wasn’t, then the plan was paused while it went under review, then it was back but the cost was $9 instead of $15, then Trump won and Hochul had to hit fast forward and get a plan in place before he takes office and shoots the whole thing in the middle of Fifth Avenue.
Through all the trials and tribulations of her congestion pricing journey, one thing has remained constant: her insistence on freezing New Jersey out of the equation.
A big fat chunk of the projected revenue from congestion pricing would come from New Jersey commuters, so it would only make sense to do the downright neighborly thing and cut us in on the deal. It was never going to be popular with Jersey commuters or the politicians charged with sticking up for them, but a 10% cut would go a long way to winning hearts and minds in Trenton and making this whole deal feel like less of a shakedown.
New York gets cash for subways and buses, NJ Transit gets the same, and we all get cleaner air. Wishful thinking. As it stands now, under Hochul’s leadership, the entire plan is in danger and nobody’s happy.
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