Dismissive Dems
Nix toll break for muni heroes
State Assembly Democrats shot down a plan Tuesday that would have spared city workers, nurses and first responders from a hefty congestion toll to get to work in the Big Apple.
Doctors and patients seeking medical care in Manhattan would also have been exempted from the $15 toll under the plan — which was effectively killed by the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions.
Democrats also nixed Republican-backed proposals to address the migrant crisis and tweak state bail laws in response to criticisms that recent reforms were allowing dangerous criminals to walk free.
There are already congestion-toll exemptions for city vehicles and certain private bus lines, but the new proposal would have expanded those exemptions for some commuters into downtown Manhattan.
Upstate Assemblyman Anil Beephan, a Republican who sponsored the bill, had argued the recently approved toll would be a financial burden for these groups.
“City employees, people who save lives and patients in need shouldn’t have to worry that just going over those bridges will cost them an unfair expense,” Beephan said in December.
Committee Chair Kenneth Zebrowski (DRockland) said Tuesday he didn’t support congestion pricing but still doesn’t think “a legislative piecemeal way” is the best way to go about carving out exemptions.
“We have 150 Assembly members and we have 150 different ideas on what to do about congestion pricing,” Zebrowski said.
“If you want to put forward an alternative to congestion pricing, you would also need to put forward another plan for additional revenue,” he added. “The bill also talks about going to doctor’s appointments. That is tremendously open-ended.”
Advocates of congestion pricing said the toll will reduce pollution and peak-day congestion while generating billions that can go toward improving the public transit system.
The new toll will affect cars driving into Manhattan below 60th Street. Trucks will face even higher tolls when the new tolls go into effect.
But the fee still faces hurdles. The toll — the first of its kind in the nation — is being challenged by five lawsuits.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy brought a lawsuit that argues the MTA’s plan didn’t sufficiently consider how Garden State residents would be impacted.
A federal judge is expected to rule on that suit before congestion pricing officially kicks off this summer. That ruling could set a precedent for other lawsuits.
The congestion-pricing exemption bill was one of more than a dozen Republican-sponsored bills Democrats voted down in committee Tuesday. Other legislation challenged Dems on hot-button issues like bail reform and the migrant influx that is stretching resources.
“It’s not surprising Democrats blocked Republican bills in committee, but they offer nothing in the way of solutions,” Assembly Minority leader Will Barclay said. “Public opinion polling shows nearly 60% of New Yorkers believe the quality of life here has gotten worse in the past year. Today’s committee work gave us a clear indication of why and how one-party rule continues to fail us.”