Photo Courtesy of Flickr/Can Pac Swire
Thirteen public meetings will be held this fall on the proposed Central Business District Tolling Program, also known as Congestion Pricing.
By Forum Staff
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, State Department of Transportation and City Department of Transportation on Thursday announced that they will hold 13 public meetings between Thursday, Sept. 23, and Wednesday, Oct. 13, on the proposed Central Business District Tolling Program, also known as Congestion Pricing.
The meetings, which will all be held virtually, will allow the public in a 28-county region in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey to learn more about the initiative and offer comments.
The other 10 public meetings will be targeted to broader geographic regions that will also allow members of the public to learn about the program, the environmental review process, and provide comments. The feedback gathered in the public meetings will be part of the Environmental Assessment required by the United State Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration that will be published for public review. Following the release of the EA, there will be additional public meetings for comment specifically on the document.
Thursday’s announcement arrived a week after the MTA, NYS DOT and NYC DOT announced that they received approval from FHWA on a 16-month schedule for the Environmental Assessment and permission to move forward with the public outreach portion of the project.
Ten virtual meetings will be held, designed to make it easy for those who want to offer public comment or simply watch and learn about the project and process. The various meetings will focus on different geographic areas within the region, though anyone from any area can participate in any meeting that works for them. Those who wish to register to speak can do so by visiting the MTA’s new Central Business District Tolling web portal at new.mta.info/project/CBDTP. The hearings will be held virtually at these dates and times:
- Thursday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m. to noon: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island
- Thursday, Sept. 23, 6-8 p.m.: Manhattan Central Business District (60th Street and below)
- Friday, Sept. 24, 10 a.m. to noon: New Jersey
- Wednesday, Sept. 29, 10 a.m. to noon: Northern New York City Suburbs
- Wednesday, Sept. 29, 6-8 p.m.: Long Island
- Thursday, Sept. 30, 6-8 p.m.: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island
- Friday, Oct. 1, 1-3 p.m.: Connecticut
- Monday, Oct. 4, 6-8 p.m.: New Jersey
- Tuesday, Oct. 5, 6-8 p.m.: Northern New York City Suburbs
- Wednesday, Oct. 6, 6-8 p.m.: Manhattan Outside the Central Business District (61st Street and above)
Three additional public meetings will provide individuals and stakeholder groups in identified Environmental Justice communities in the New York, Connecticut and New Jersey Study Area with opportunities to receive information about the proposed program and its potential impacts – positive or negative – on minority or low-income populations. They will also be able to comment on the proposed program and learn about an Environmental Justice Technical Advisory Group and a separate Environmental Justice Stakeholder Working Group that will be created as part of the effort. Residents who identify as living in Environmental Justice communities will learn how they can join the Environmental Justice Stakeholder Working Group or suggest someone else for the Group.
Three virtual meetings will be held, focused on environmental justice communities located respectively in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, though anyone may register to attend any or all of these:
- Thursday, Oct. 7, 6-8 p.m.: New York
- Tuesday, Oct. 12, 6-8 p.m.: New Jersey
- Wednesday, Oct. 13, 6-8 p.m.: Connecticut
