This is a time where political action is crucial and time is running out to approve congestion pricing. As such, the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee (PCAC) to the MTA has passed a resolution urging New York state lawmakers to approve congestion pricing legislation. The resolution addresses the following main points.
- Users of public transportation within the MTA region are facing a crisis in reliability in the transportation services on which they depend. This is exacerbated by increasing traffic congestion in New York City’s central areas, especially its impacts on bus service. Public transportation is in need of additional revenues to maintain and improve the assets of the MTA system.
- Congestion pricing is a feasible means of addressing both traffic congestion and the need for funding to maintain and improve transit infrastructure serving MTA riders. Several proposals have been advanced that outline a system of congestion pricing that would beneficially influence driver behavior, generate revenues to benefit public transportation, and make allowances in charges for tolls paid by drivers to enter the congestion charge zone.
- The PCAC most recently expressed support for congestion pricing in March 2015, in response to the proposal put forth by Move NY.
- We support establishing a system that would equitably raise revenue to benefit public transportation used by MTA riders. “Lockbox” provisions will be needed to ensure that revenues raised benefit public transportation with no diversion of revenues to other purposes. In addition, this system would benefit bus performance in the City’s central areas by reducing traffic congestion.
- We support an equitable system, that takes into account the total tolls and charges paid by drivers. The revenues raised should be dedicated to public transportation and protected from diversion to other uses.
The PCAC looks forward to the completion of a detailed plan and its prompt consideration by appropriate legislative bodies.