On May 24, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump declared that a misleadingly touted traffic “congestion pricing” plan was a disaster for NYC, that he stopped it for years on the federal level and that he would do so again if again elected president.
For Democratic NY Governor Kathy Hochul, the die was cast. Coming soon after a Sienna College poll reporting that almost 65% of New Yorkers opposed a so-called “congestion pricing” plan ostensibly designed to address traffic jams, but was in reality a stealth tax to raise money for the debt-laden Metropolitan Transportation Authority, she feared, and with good reason, that Democratic candidates would likely suffer at the ballot box on November 5. And therein lies an important tale.
Thus, following the Trump declaration, the Gov. promptly announced a “pause” in the implementation of the congestion pricing plan approved in March to charge drivers who enter NYC’s main business district a fee of $15, on top of the onerous fees to which drivers are already subject. However, now that the elections are over, Gov. Hochul has announced that the plan would now call for a fee of $9, but with the possibility that it could be raised sometime after three years, and subject to an indeterminate limit!
So, unless the plan is scuttled by the incoming President Donald Trump after entering office on Jan. 20, a profligate Democratic-controlled state government unwilling to seek concessions from bloated union rolls or seriously go after fare-beaters that have cost the transit system hundreds of millions of dollars over the years will have a classic “cash cow” at its disposal.
Hopefully, President-elect Trump will indeed be able to deal with this problem. But at all events New Yorkers should not be fooled. And they must remember all of this political legerdemain, and hold the offending officeholders to account should they again run for office.
