The MTA’s congestion pricing plan, which is expected to start this spring, would establish a $15 toll for drivers who enter Manhattan’s Central Business District between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays, and between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. This type of hardship for working people has sparked a lawsuit, filed by The United Federation of Teachers, and Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella. The suit alleges the plan was rushed and hurried, and that the Bronx, Staten Island and Bergen County’s air quality will suffer due to increased traffic. Michael Mulgrew, UFT President, cited that pollutants could raise rates of bronchitis and asthma attacks, among other similar health issues, in these locations. There are no exemptions for the toll for NYPD, the Red Cross, school buses, hospital workers or drivers with disabilities.
Read the full story by Crystal Lewis for The Chief-Leader, published January 8, 2024, here: https://thechiefleader.com/stories/uft-staten-island-bp-file-suit-to-halt-congestion-pricing-plan,51736
