Rep. Gottheimer on halting congestion pricing: A huge win for New Jersey and New York families 

That’s exactly what I’m thinking

Agreed, not sure where Andrew was coming from by asking those questions and it came across pretty out of touch here. The NJ Rep had good rebuttals to his arguments, especially the fare evasion one. Just because it's a hard solution doesn't mean we ignore the problem.

Amen

He was being strange with that question and ambiguous. So where are they going to get the money for a capital plan was the question. Well not from commuters and drivers that is for sure. Not to mention the guy is from NJ not NY. And he asks him to fix a problem that was there in the first place, without the congestion tax there is not capital plan.

NYC pays for the whole rest of the state

Just think how long would it have taken after they had gone through with congestion pricing to justify free transit. I tell ya if this tax scheme had gone through they would have pulled that BS in the coming years and would use it to justify keeping the congestion tax forever.

Congestion pricing = stupid crap. The state of the MTA was not going improve even with congestion pricing, until the people running it currently are removed. You want a better MTA, privatize it.

MTA = 10 workers for a two person job.

Kathy Hochul is a baby boomer stereotype. Born on 1958. You know baby boomer nimbys are anti-transit and more focus on cars.

Time for a new generation for New people to support congestion pricing.

​​Most New York City residents don't support nor will every support Congestion Pricing unlike you clueless progressives

If you don't like the noise, then leave. Cities are busy. It's part of the hustle and bustle. If you want peace and quiet, live in rural America. Cars contribute over a trillion dollars to the U.S economy and the fact is that everyone can't use public transit. Businesses can't transport goods on a train. People who live in transit deserts in NYC have to drive as it's the quicker or only reliable option to get into Manhattan. Residents who live in the cbd who have to leave the city drive as they have no other way to get to their destination. Congestion pricing as noted by the MTA's own assessment was going to increase pollution in the outer boroughs such as the South Bronx which already has some of the highest pollution rates in the country. Small businesses would've increased costs as well. Congestion pricing was never a good thing for the city of new york and was nothing more than a cash grab. Most traffic according to the MTA is caused by rideshares. 51% in fact. 38% of traffic is private vehicles. As a person who doesn't drive in the city I'm glad the Governor made the decision to stop this. This was nothing more than a cash grab for an mismanaged transit agency that gets $20 billion a year but wastes the money.

I agree that a lot of the people who insist on driving into Manhattan CBD have plenty of alternative mass transit available to them. I took the train from New Jersey to Penn Station NY the other day. The streets were jammed with traffic. Emergency vehicles couldn't get through. Instead of opposing congestion pricing, Sen. Gottheimer and Gov. Murphy should have bargained for the extension of NYC subway line #7 to Weehawken and Secaucus Transfer. New Jersey riders would have more options. NJ would also get more control over New York MTA management. We have to think regionally. The boundary between NY and NJ is a relic of colonial times.

@benqurayza7872 That is not always the case. Just because you can take the train doesn't mean everyone can, especially those who do live in transit deserts who can't take a train or those who can't because it is the much slower alternative if they have to be somewhere in Manhattan at a certain time. The MTA is controlled by the State of New York and our agency is poorly managed as it is. They get 20 billion but constantly overspend on projects by billions. Grand Central Madison was 7 billion overbudget. The second avenue subway expansion is overbudget. This wouldn't have reduced congestion but increase it in the outer boroughs according to the MTA's own assessments, so it wouldn't have even benefitted most New Yorkers and most NYC residents as a result opposed it. My Governor made the right decision in stopping this. If you don't like the hustle and bustle of a city, then don't come to the city. Go to a quiet rural town

@atrailmckinley4786 So, how can MTA management be improved? Why do their projects consistently exceed budget?

@benqurayza7872 Because of mismanagement. The second avenue subway is poorly designed, for instance. They built grand Center Island platforms which drive up costs rather than doing something simple like two side platforms or simple island platforms which would be cheaper. The MTA has a history of overtime fraud as well and they recently spent millions on new fare gates that don't stop fare evasion and many third party contracts go overbudget. The only way to deal with that is if the MTA spends their money properly and makes sure that projects don't go overbudget. Not to mention that people don't pay the fare. They lose $700 million to fare evaders