EPISODE 127: Kathy Hochul's Congestion Pricing Flip-Flop Fiasco

Hi everyone!

By now, many of you have heard about New York Governor Kathy Hochul's 11th-hour decision to "indefinitely suspend" congestion pricing, the program that would have charged drivers to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. Her move, announced in a prerecorded video on Wednesday, June 5th, came mere weeks before congestion pricing was set to launch, jeopardizing what was set to be a major funding source for transit and a revolutionary plan to reduce traffic in a way never seen before in the United States.

Why did Hochul do this? Is it bad politics or atrociously bad politics? What does this mean for the future of the New York City subway system, commuter rail, accessibility, safety, the environment, the economy and even democracy itself?

Given how big the news, we rushed into the studio to record this episode and get our thoughts out. WARNING: We swear a lot in this one.

More importantly, we discuss what you can do if you live or work in the New York metropolitan area and want to see Hochul's flip flop reversed. (See the links below for more information.) For those of you who don't live in New York, we also discuss what effect this could have on cities across the U.S. that might be considering a congestion pricing program of their own.

We'll be back with another regular episode on our normal schedule next week.

Thanks as always to everyone who chips in on Patreon to make the podcast possible.

All the best,

Aaron, Sarah and Doug

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HELP SAVE CONGESTION PRICING:

Contact Governor Kathy Hochul and tell her to implement congestion pricing as planned: 1-518-474-8390

Local advocacy organizations have their own calls to action and can help you contact elected officials:

Riders Alliance

Transportation Alternatives

Tri-State Transportation Campaign

SHOW NOTES:

House Democrats pressured Hochul to tank congestion pricing. (Politico)

No info about bodega owners, but not a whole lotta teachers drive to Manhattan. (Hellgate NYC)

Read Aaron's take on Representative Hakeem Jeffries and congestion pricing from 2008. (Streetsblog)

Hear our original thoughts on congestion pricing back in episode 111 with Diana Lind.

This episode was recorded at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio by Josh Wilcox. It was edited by Doug Gordon.

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