Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
“Congestion pricing will ease traffic and fund mass transit, and New Yorkers can’t wait any longer to get it started,” Mayor de Blasio said.
By Forum Staff
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday recommended Department of Finance Commissioner Sherif Soliman to the Traffic Mobility Review Board.
Hizzoner also called on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to work faster to advance this crucial first-in-the-nation program, which will charge private vehicles for entering Manhattan’s Central Business District.
De Blasio urged the MTA to follow a more aggressive timeline for crucial parts of the congestion pricing launch, including:
Immediately appointing and convening the Traffic Mobility Review Board.
Expediting the Environmental Assessment, TMRB recommendations, final MTA action including all pricing, exemptions, design and testing, to be completed at the latest by next June, for implementation in 2022.
Putting shovels in the ground by this time next year, with full implementation of congestion pricing in 2022.
The six-member Traffic Mobility Review Board, created by the 2019 congestion pricing law, is charged with soliciting public input on congestion pricing program parameters and making recommendations on toll amounts, exemptions, discounts and other program elements to the MTA Board for approval. The TMRB’s members are appointed by the MTA, with the requirement that one member is recommended by the New York City Mayor, one member resides in the Long Island Rail Road region, and one member resides in the Metro North region. The law also requires that members have experience in at least one of the following areas: public finance, transportation, mass transit, or management.
“Sherif Soliman has the vision and expertise to get the Traffic Mobility Review Board moving and deliver a congestion pricing plan that works for everyone,” de Blasio said. “The MTA should meet its obligation to convene experts like Sherif on this board and kick this process into overdrive. Congestion pricing will ease traffic and fund mass transit, and New Yorkers can’t wait any longer to get it started.”
According to the administration, congestion pricing will reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, eliminate toll shopping, and lower vehicle emissions, all while encouraging New Yorkers back to mass transit. Revenues will provide billions for the subway system’s signals, track, accessibility, and other critical transit infrastructure.
“Congestion pricing is a game changer – it will generate billions for mass transit investments, mitigate the ills of traffic congestion, improve air quality, and provide many more benefits for New Yorkers,” Soliman said. “A successful launch in America’s largest city will further validate congestion pricing as a paragon for sound transportation policy, and I thank the Mayor for recommending me to serve on a board that will play a pivotal role in the program’s design. I look forward to the MTA’s consideration of my candidacy.”
State Sen. Jessica Ramos added, “As more New Yorkers start heading back to work and tourism picks up, meaningful investments to make our public transportation system more reliable and accessible will be critical to support our city’s economic recovery. Speeding up congestion pricing will mean we can raise the necessary funds for long-overdue repairs to the MTA, clear up the traffic on our streets and allow New Yorkers to breathe cleaner air.”
