Good morning! I’m Kara Gurl, Planning and Advocacy Manager at the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC.
I’ll start by saying that PCAC strongly condemns the USDOT’s decision to withdraw their approval of congestion pricing. But the cameras are staying on, thanks to the leadership of Governor Hochul.
Six weeks in, the benefits of congestion pricing are undeniable. We’re seeing less traffic, fewer cars, more transit ridership, and faster bus speeds around the region. From express buses to New Jersey commuter buses to the previously slowest local buses in Manhattan, riders are finally getting where they need to go faster—and it’s all thanks to congestion relief. We support the MTA’s legal action to defend the vast majority of New Yorkers and New Jersey residents alike who ride transit. The program is bringing in the expected benefits following 4,000 pages of detailed environmental review, and we can’t go back now. The cameras are staying on!
We were glad to see launch dates for the Queens Bus Network Redesign on the calendar. After years of planning, public comment, and revising, Queens bus riders will see bus routes adapted to meet their current needs—but of course, we hope to see room for tweaks once implementation begins and real-life feedback rolls in. These bus improvements should also be coupled with investment and partnership from the city in bus lanes, signal priority, and camera enforcement.
We continue to urge legislators in Albany to come together with a plan to fund the MTA’s 2025-29 Capital Plan. So many critical subway and bus improvements are on the line. Everything from CBTC signal upgrades to resiliency projects to new rolling stock and electric buses will be delayed if our state leaders don’t put their heads together and fund the plan. Luckily, we did a lot of the work for them—this month, we released a report detailing two dozen potential funding streams, and counting! Riders need to see investment in the capital plan. The state of good repair of our system depends on it. Thank you!