NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The first of 13 virtual public hearings on New York City's congestion pricing plan was held Thursday morning for those looking to make their voices heard on the issue.
It's the beginning of a 16-month review process the MTA has to do before implementing the new program to toll drivers in Manhattan below 60th Street.
Each hearing, being held between now and mid-October, has a different geographic focus. Thursday's looks at impacts on the outer boroughs while other hearings are set aside for New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island, the Hudson Valley and Manhattan, both inside and outside the toll zone.
Reception from those who signed up to speak at the first public hearing was mixed.
Queens Assemblyman David Weprin calls it a Manhattan-centric, one-size-fits-all approach.
"It is an outer boroughs tax that will hurt disadvantaged families in New York City while we are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic," Weprin said.
But Jason Rabinowitz, a transit enthusiast, said the process needs to be sped up.
"New York City is choking on car exhaust. Our streets are overly congested all day, everyday. Pedestrians and bicyclists are put in danger every day as they have become squeezed out," he said.
Brooklyn resident MacKenzie Fillow supports congestion pricing.
"Cars make life worse for New Yorkers and everything we can do to reduce driving will improve life here," she said.
Patrick Johnson, from Staten Island, is opposed to the proposal.
"I'm not going to be a slave to MTA and just keep giving more money to you guys. It's ridiculous," he said.
Advocates, and even Mayor Bill de Blasio, have been highly critical of the timeline, which currently has the toll coming no sooner than 2023.
The MTA has called its schedule very aggressive and the transit agency's Janno Lieber said they need to be deliberate and is defending the vast scope.
"You don't want to take any chances because you've seen major projects held up for years by litigation," Lieber said. "The traffic implications obviously go down through the system. We all know that traffic isn't just the place where you're stopping traffic, but it cascades through the whole traffic system."
The goal is to raise money to modernize the subway system while also reducing traffic and pollution. The exact toll amount and any potential exemptions have yet to be set.
The MTA's Allison de Cerreño is floating a peak time toll amount between $9 and $23 for easy pass users.
"Our models predict a 15% to 20% reduction in traffic volumes that would enter the Manhattan Central Business District each day," she said.
The hearing got underway at 10 a.m. Another follows at 6 p.m. for the Manhattan Central Business District below 60th Street.
To sign up to speak at the meetings visit the Central Business District Tolling Program’s website at new.mta.info/project/CBDTP or call the public meeting hotline at (646) 252-6777. Sign up is available through 5:30 p.m. the night before each meeting.
The meetings are being livestreamed on the MTA's YouTube channel.
According to the MTA, the feedback gathered in these meetings will be part of the Environmental Assessment required by the Federal Highway Administration that will be published for public review.
Following the release of the assessment, there will be additional public meetings for comment specifically on the document.
The plan to toll drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street was first authorized by the state in 2019. It would be the first such program in the United States.