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About a month ago, Governor Kathy Hochul shocked New Yorkers when announcing that the much talked about congestion pricing scheme was going to be put on hold indefinitely.
Although the situation has not changed since then, the New York Times reports that state lawmakers are working on a potential new plan featuring less expensive tolls.
“If the governor agreed to reduce the yearly amount of money that the law requires to be collected from the tolls, she would have some cushion to alter the program—potentially lowering the proposed $15 charge to enter Manhattan below 60th Street,” reports the outlet.
It is important to note that Hochul has not made any public comment about the latest talks. In the past, she has complained both about a fee plan in general and the $15 price associated with it in specific.
“I will say right now $15 is not the right price,” the politician said to CNBC a while back. “That does not mean it’s gone forever, but let’s just be reasonable.”
Also to keep in mind is the fact that Donald Trump has vowed to halt any sort of congestion pricing plan if he were to get elected President in November.
"Congestion pricing is a disaster for NYC," the former President wrote on social media back in May. "A massive business killer and tax on New Yorkers and anyone going into Manhattan. I will terminate congestion pricing in my first week back in office."
Others have noted that, if passed featuring lower fees, as some state lawmakers are suggesting, the scheme would bring in less money and, potentially, not eliminate as much traffic as officials had originally hoped it would.
Clearly, there's nothing set in stone quite yet and Hochul has not been wont to discuss the reasoning behind her decision or her thoughts about potential changes. That is all to say: we're still in limbo. Let's see what happens.