Good evening! I’m Mike Stanton, a resident of White Plains. I currently serve on the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, and the Metro-North Railroad Commuter Council.
I’m here to speak in strong support of congestion pricing. I commute frequently from White Plains into Lower Manhattan, and do so almost exclusively using Metro-North and the subway. Congestion pricing will improve my commute, and the trips of so many other riders around the region.
That’s why congestion pricing is so important. It will add billions of dollars of much-needed upgrades to our trains and buses, including on Metro-North. So many of the MTA’s state of good repair, accessibility, resiliency, and other projects depend on congestion pricing.
Put simply, doing nothing is not an option: Without investment, service will suffer, more people will get behind the wheel, and traffic will get even worse. The economic well-being of our region depends on Metro-North, regardless of how often you use it.
The proposed tolling structure is fair, including key exemptions and discounts for low-income frequent drivers and people with disabilities, and a 75% lower toll overnight when transit options are more limited.
Congestion pricing will benefit riders on Metro-North and around the entire region. We can’t afford to further delay upgrades to transit. Thank you.