Republicans are promising to make sure Democrats pay a political price for new Manhattan congestion charges. A new report reveals that some congestion is already occurring in the affected areas. Worst vacancy rate in the city.
Republicans may not be able to stop Gov. Kathy Hochul from enforcing the $9 base fee for entry into Manhattan's business district, the first of its kind in the nation, but officials have already said it will be rolled out on a large scale. We are considering it as a campaign. That could create problems for Democrats in future state and city elections.
“Congestion pricing is a continuation of Democratic tax and spending policies in Albany and New York City,” said Ed Cox, chairman of the state Republican Party. “Every congressman and senator who voted for this law is going to have to explain it. It makes no sense.”
Meanwhile, opponents say a new Department of City Planning report could cause economic damage to Manhattan neighborhoods in pay zones, which are already plagued by hundreds of vacant storefronts, with new pricing. It is argued that this suggests that.
Six of the top 10 neighborhoods in the city with the highest retail vacancy rates are in pay zones, as are 10 of the top 20 neighborhoods.
The report, published last Friday, revealed:
- In the Financial District/Battery Park, 24% of stores are vacant, the highest in the city.
- Vacancy rates were 21% in Tribeca/Civic Center, followed by 20% in Chinatown and 19.2% in East Midtown/Turtle Bay.
- Vacancy rates were 17% in Chelsea/Hudson Yards and Midtown South/Flatiron Union Square, 16% in Midtown/Times Square, SoHo/Little Italy and the Lower East Side, and 15.7% in Greenwich Village.
One Lower East Side activist, Kathryn Freed, a former state Supreme Court justice and former Democratic lawmaker, said state and MTA officials have never done an economic evaluation of new tolls and that city planning said the data shows evidence of potential harm to neighborhoods in congested areas.
“Nobody was thinking about the economic impact,” said Fried, leader of New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing. “There are vacant buildings and vacant stores.”
She also said Hochul gave Republicans gifts they could use to crush Democrats in future elections and jeopardize their 2026 re-election.
“Mike Lawler is going to be elected,” Fried said, referring to the Hudson Valley Republican congressman who is considering a run.
Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, a Republican who plans to run for mayor again in 2026, said the victims would “kill Manhattan.”
“There are empty storefronts in Midtown right now,” Sliwa said. “Do you know what this means? Something like an exodus south of the Mason-Dixon line.
“We are a party that represents the working class.”
Alan Rosen, a junior restaurateur who owns a restaurant in Times Square and is considering a run for mayor, called the fees “absolutely insane.”
“Charging people more to come to the greatest city in the world is complete nonsense,” he said. “It’s anti-business, it’s anti-visitor, it’s absolutely insane.
“Can you please stop this madness?”
The MTA Board of Directors is scheduled to vote Monday to implement the new fees starting Jan. 5.
Hochul has the votes to push the bill through the board, but opposition is expected. Mayor Eric Adams' appointees are expected to support the new tolls.
The governor announced in June that he was “suspending” or suspending $15 tolls planned for midtown south of 60th Street, weeks before implementation, but Democrats running for Congress Many believe it was a political strategy to prevent a backlash against the candidate. this year.
Last week, Hochul revived the plan just days after the election, calling instead for a $9 toll, which would rise to $12 in 2028 and even higher thereafter. While proponents tout the plan as a way to curb traffic and air pollution in Midtown, the MTA relies heavily on new revenue generated to help fund capital programs.
“The governor's initial instincts were correct. The problem hasn't changed, and my opposition hasn't changed. Congestion pricing, whether it's $15 or $9, places a tremendous burden on local economies. ” David Mack, Nassau County appointee to the MTA board, told The Sunday Post.
A Siena College poll released in April found that nearly two-thirds of New York City voters oppose congestion pricing, as do 72% of suburban residents.
There has been pushback not only from Republicans who showed up at an anti-congestion news conference in Fresh Meadows, Queens on Sunday, but also from Democrats in suburban districts.
“I have to point out the obvious: $9 is much higher than the current interest rate of zero,” said Rep. David Weprin (D-Queens). “This is not savings. This is also a tax that working New Yorkers cannot afford. Congestion pricing is not a fair trade for New Yorkers.
“Manhattan has not recovered from COVID-19,” he added. “There are office buildings that are not yet fully occupied.”
Rep. Nilly Rozic (D-Queens) agreed, saying, “Affordability is the most important thing that voters, constituents and people on the street are telling us, and we have to listen to it.” It doesn't have to be.
“That's why I stand here with my constituents and say, continue the pause,” Rozic said. “We don't need to do this here and now.”
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Democratic-run Legislature approved legislation in 2019 giving the MTA the power to impose new congestion charges, but earlier this year Mr. Cuomo questioned whether now was the best time to do so. It was showing. He is considering re-election to mayor.
