In Gothamist: As MTA drags feet on setting congestion pricing fee, Manhattan BP offers his own suggestions

Seal of the Office of Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough President

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine is trying to help speed up the MTA’s long-delayed congestion pricing program by proposing how much to charge drivers who enter the zone below Manhattan’s 60th Street.

The discussions are supposed to be conducted by the Traffic Mobility Review Board – a panel made up of six members largely chosen by the MTA – who will also determine fees drivers pay or any exemptions. But the MTA still hasn’t formed that panel.

While many politicians have called for their constituents to be exempt from the fees, Levine – a supporter of the program that was approved by the state Legislature in 2019 – is the first one to put forth detailed recommendations on how much to charge drivers. Those fees would be funneled back to the MTA to maintain and repair the subway system, buy new buses and install more elevators.

“We are in part raising these important policy issues now, because we don’t want the fight over these questions to delay us further,” Levine said at a press conference in Manhattan on Wednesday.

Read the full article HERE.

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