New Yorkers, Duffy take aim at congestion pricing in new ad
The Department of Transportation in New York City recently released an ad slamming the city’s congestion traffic pricing, eliciting strong reactions from local workers. One man in the clip expressed his frustration, stating, “I think with raised toll prices, raised train fares, now you want to add like tolls on the streets, I think it’s definitely borderline stealing.” Another worker added, “It’s ridiculous, it’s gonna.. it’s destroying the city.” The sentiment was echoed by another man who said, “It makes it more expensive for me to come to work.”
The video is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to address the issue of Manhattan traffic congestion. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy emphasized the impact of the congestion pricing on hard-working New Yorkers, stating, “They’re pissed off about being charged $9 to use their own streets.” He called for an end to congestion pricing, citing the negative impact it has on the city.
The Federal Highway Administration Executive Director Gloria Shepherd recently sent a letter requesting an end to the tolls on March 21. Despite the tolls being a pilot program, they have proven to be lucrative, generating $37.5 million in January alone. In response to the request from Shepherd, Duffy terminated the Biden-era agreement between the department and New York for the program.
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York has vowed to resist the FHWA’s request for ending the program in an “orderly manner.” She has pledged to challenge the decision in court, calling the request “not a lawful order.” The tolls are currently in effect in Manhattan on and south of 60th Street on a daily basis.
The contentious issue of congestion pricing in New York City continues to be a point of contention between the state government and the federal authorities. The legal battle over the tolls is likely to continue, with both sides standing firm on their positions. Stay tuned for further developments on this issue.
Cameron Arcand, a politics writer at Fox News Digital in Washington D.C., contributed to this report. For more updates, follow him on Twitter: @cameron_arcand.
