Murphy, Gottheimer slam latest congestion pricing news

Following a report yesterday detailing New York City’s congestion pricing plans, several New Jersey politicians are once again expressing their displeasure at what they’ve called a “congestion tax.”

“Tonight’s leaked report demonstrates the rushed and opaque process that the MTA and the Traffic Mobility Review Board have pursued to impose an unfair and ill-conceived congestion pricing tolling scheme on New Jersey commuters,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement. “Despite our interconnected and interdependent regional economy and transportation system, New York officials did not meaningfully consult with us from the outset and instead treated New Jerseyans as a convenient way to fill an MTA budget hole.”

According to the report from the Traffic Mobility Review Board, cars that enter Manhattan below 60th Street would have to pay $15 a day, with a discount for drivers who use already-tolled tunnels in lower Manhattan. The proceeds would go towards funding public transit via the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 

Murphy, whose administration has sued to halt the plan from taking effect, said that he’ll continue to fight against congestion pricing as New York moves closer to implementing it.

“As a conceptual matter, I support congestion pricing, as long as it is structured in a way that is fair to all sides. This plan is neither fair nor equitable,” he said. “Everyone in the region deserves access to more reliable mass transit, but placing an unjustified financial burden on New Jersey commuters is wrong. We are left with no choice than to continue addressing our concerns through litigation.”

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff), one of congestion pricing’s most vociferous critics in Congress, also excoriated the plan as an unfair burden on New Jersey drivers.

“As advertised, New York is officially sticking it to Jersey families with their commuter-crushing Congestion Tax,” he said. “On top of the existing tolls, it’ll be 15 bucks every day to go into the city with no discounts at the GW Bridge – thousands of dollars a year just to drive to work. If it wasn’t costly enough, the Congestion Tax will also increase toxic, cancer-causing pollution in Jersey.”