FORT LEE, New Jersey (WABC) — This is the last hurdle to congestion pricing going into effect. Both sides were in federal court in New Jersey pleading their cases.
The federal hearing wrapped Friday afternoon. Both sides presented their cases and a judge said he will make a decision in the near future.
All along, this has been a tale of two states with the Hudson River as the dividing line. The governor of New York wants the plan. The governor of New Jersey does not.
The traffic cameras are up and the new pricing signs are in place ahead of Sunday morning’s start date. It’ll soon cost drivers extra to head south of 60th Street, but new jersey officials are trying to stop it, before it starts.
“It puts the health of our children and families at risk here in north jersey,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.)said.
On Thursday, Congressman Gottheimer stood with local representatives and community members in Fort Lee, New Jersey to call on a judge to put the brakes on the plan.
“New York’s plan to fix congestion is to give more of it to children in Jersey, by sending more smog into our homes and neighborhoods,” Gottheimer said. “This new Lung Tax will cost Jersey children and families more money to breathe worse air, punishing our lungs and wallets at the same time.”
The MTA fired back in response to the rally in Fort Lee.
“Nobody in their right mind should take transportation advice from the New Jersey politicians who have woefully failed to manage transit in their state while also endorsing higher tolls on their own roads and on Port Authority bridges and tunnels, and higher fares on NJ Transit,” said MTA Chief of Policy and External Relations John McCarthy in a statement. “Endless litigation over New York’s program to improve its transit and reduce traffic is the height of hypocrisy.”
While a federal judge on Friday considered issuing a temporary restraining order to halt the start date, supporters of the toll who live in New Jersey held a rally outside.
The new toll is expected reduce the amount of cars in the city by 80,000 and collect billions of dollars for much need transit improvements.
“It’s time to pay the piper here,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.
They’re hoping to convince more commuters to take public transit. At a time, some high profile crime has been reported underground.
“I used to go down to the subway without a care in the world and now I pay attention to my surroundings and stand back from the tracks,” one commuter told Eyewitness News.
Over the past two weeks, a man lit a woman on fire. In another case, a rider was pushed onto the subway tracks.
We found murders have doubled from 5 in 2023 to 10 last year leading to a 100 percent increase. Most other crimes have gone down during the same time period. Grand larceny, robbery, and burglary are down by double digits.
The governor says new transit cameras on every train and National Guard patrols have helped.
“I’m acknowledging there are frightening crimes for people. I’m not allowing them,” Hochul said.
On Friday, she announced new legislation that would make it easier for hospitals to commit patients with severe mental illness and for courts to order outpatient treatment.
It is unclear how the governor’s plan will fare in the state Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats and begins its annual legislative session later this month.
“We will have the resources to ensure that you have an efficient, on-time, better experience because we’re going to make the investments that should have been done over decades that were never done because it was too costly,” Hochul said.
Hochul believes the tolls don’t contradict her vision because she lowered the price of the new toll to 9 dollars. She added that more than 80 percent commuters already take public transit.
Any delay could give its opponents an opportunity to stop congestion pricing for good. President-elect Trump has already said he opposes the plan and would end it when he takes office. Supporters are attempting to turn the license plate readers on and start collecting revenue before Jan. 20.
Phil Taitt reports on the deadly stabbing from Harlem.
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On Sunday, New York City is set to launch its long-awaited congestion pricing plan, aimed at reducing traffic and raising funds for public transportation. However, just days before the rollout, a judge in New Jersey is hearing a last-minute challenge to halt the implementation of the plan.
The congestion pricing plan, which was approved by the state legislature in 2019, will charge drivers a fee to enter certain parts of Manhattan during peak hours. The goal is to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution while generating much-needed revenue for the city’s struggling public transit system.
Opponents of the plan argue that it unfairly targets low-income drivers and will only exacerbate traffic congestion in surrounding areas. They have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the rollout of the plan, citing concerns about its legality and potential negative impact on commuters.
The judge’s decision on whether to halt the implementation of congestion pricing in NYC is expected to come down to the wire, with the fate of the plan hanging in the balance. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
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