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New York transit company votes to indefinitely stop Manhattan congestion prices

A New York transit firm voted on Wednesday to indefinitely halt congestion prices in Manhattan that was set to start on June 30 after the state's guv directed the action.

The Metropolitan Transport Authority voted to halt the program and stated it was putting $16.5 billion in capital projects on hold-- including significant expansion jobs such as extending the 2nd Avenue Train, upgrading aging signal systems and train vehicles and buying 250 electrical buses.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli stated in a report on Tuesday the state had approximated $17 billion would require to be gotten rid of from the current $55.4 billion transit capital strategy to address the loss of congestion rates income.

The MTA has currently canceled agreements and halted work on one key train expansion job and has stated it might put federal grant funding at risk.

Whatever you think about congestion pricing, you can not. deny the harm that unattended traffic does to New York's economy;. not just that, however likewise to cities all over the country, said. MTA CEO Janno Lieber.

Governor Kathy Hochul mentioned high inflation and a desire to. avoid commuters or tourists from choosing not to visit because. of the service charge in her choice to halt implementation.

Hochul stated in a statement Wednesday she would work with the. MTA to additional develop an extensive technique to fund. capital tasks and deal with the state legislature to. carry out thorough options and make sure appropriate funding. sources in next year's budget.

New york city City's blockage prices program, the very first of its. kind in the U.S., would have charged a toll of $15 during. daytime hours for lorries driving in Manhattan south of 60th. Street. London executed a comparable charge in 2003.

MTA has said the charge would cut traffic by 17%, improve. air quality and boost public transportation usage by 1% to 2%, also. as generating $1 billion to $1.5 billion a year and supporting. $ 15 billion in debt funding for mass transit enhancement.

In 2019, state lawmakers approved the strategy to help fund. enhancements in public transportation utilizing tolls to manage New york city. City's traffic, the most overloaded of any U.S. city.

Blockage rates had actually been projected to begin in 2021 however. the federal government under former President Donald Trump took. no action.

New York states more than 900,000 lorries enter the Manhattan. Central Downtown daily, which decreases travel speeds to. around 7 miles per hour on average.

(source: Reuters)