NYC News - Local News

Trump Admin Claws Back Approval for Congestion Pricing in Manhattan The federal highway administration reversed its approval for the tolling program, and said it will pursue “the orderly cessation” of the system.  This article originally appeared in The City. By  Jose Martinez NEW YORK - Barely six weeks after the launch of congestion pricing, the plan to toll motorists driving into the core of Manhattan is facing yet another existential threat. President Donald Trump followed through Wednesday on his August campaign pledge to “TERMINATE Congestion Pricing,” likely setting the stage for more legal fighting in the long-running saga. On January 5 , New York became the first U.S. city to implement such a vehicle-tolling scheme, which is designed to unclog streets and fund billions of dollars in mass transit upgrades. The president’s transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul that reverses the ...

  Tax rebates and heavy spending define spending proposals unveiled as Trump and Republican-controlled Congress prepare likely federal cuts to social programs.  This article originally appeared in The City. By  Greg David Follow @x NEW YORK - Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul have announced budget proposals for the coming year that are remarkably similar. They both used unexpectedly strong revenues to increase spending and avoid cuts to popular programs. They touted a series of steps — especially income tax cuts — to convince voters they would do something about the high cost of living in New York. And they are both taking a big gamble that they will be able to get through the next year without their plans being blown apart by President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, who are widely expected to slash federal aid to states and cities and social safety net programs as they take control of the federal budget. B...

On the first days, drivers struggled to avoid paying the congestion charge. One even said she’d leave New York because of it.   This story originally appeared in The City. By  Jose Martinez Follow @x NEW YORK - As New York became the first U.S. city to toll drivers entering a “congestion relief zone” over the weekend, some Manhattan motorists elected to spin their wheels to avoid paying the 60th Street-and-south charge. Steven Guerrero, 29, said he circled the Upper West Side for “about 10, 15 minutes” to avoid paying a peak-hours $9 toll before sliding into a parking spot on West 61st Street near West End Avenue. “It wasn’t an easy task,” said Guerrero, who grew up in the city and drove in Sunday from West Haven, Conn., to visit friends. “So many cars.”  MTA officials said a read on vehicle and traffic data showing the initial impacts of the new toll should begin taking shape this week, with hopes that it can curb congest...

  The tolling scheme is back on track with a lower price point, and the governor says she’s “looking for support from the federal government to support our shared goals of making this a world-class system.”  This article originally appeared in The City. By  Jose Martinez NEW YORK - Five months after suspending the vehicle-tolling initiative aimed at funding transit upgrades, Gov. Kathy Hochul put congestion pricing back on track Thursday — and squarely in the sights of President-elect Donald Trump. At a Midtown news conference as packed as a rush-hour train, Hochul announced that motorists driving south of 60th Street in Manhattan will begin paying a once-daily $9 toll on Jan. 5. The tolls would kick in just over two weeks before the White House return of Trump, who has vowed to “ TERMINATE Congestion Pricing in my FIRST WEEK back in office.” The governor’s latest reversal on the first-in-the-nation plan came after Hochul in June put an indefinite ...