Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday triumphantly rallied in Manhattan to tout congestion pricing’s success on the heels of President Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pushing back the deadline for the state to terminate the tolling program by 30 days.
After riding in on a city bus, Hochul gathered in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District with Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials, local pols, and advocates to celebrate the program President Trump is seeking to shut down.
“Today’s an important day, the cameras are staying on…they sure as hell are,” Hochuls said, referring to the cameras used to charge drivers a $9 base toll for entering the congestion zone — Manhattan below 60th Street.
Hochul’s remarks come in open defiance of Duffy’s order to end the program by March 21, a deadline the transportation secretary preemptively extended by another 30 days via a social media post on Thursday. Duffy issued his original deadline last month shortly after sending a letter to Hochul ordering her to scuttle the program, contending it is primarily designed to raise money for the MTA rather than cut down on congestion.
While Duffy gave the state another month to end congestion pricing, he also threatened that he is “putting New York on notice” and noncompliance with the new deadline “will not be taken lightly.”
“Your refusal to end cordon pricing and your open disrespect towards the federal government is unacceptable,” Duffy wrote in the post on X.
The govenror and top MTA officials have fiercely defended the tolling program, which took effect on Jan. 5, arguing it has worked as intended by reducing traffic and generating much needed revenue for the beleagured transit agency. They also sued the Trump administration in a bid to prevent it from interfering with the state-run program.
The MTA is using the revenue generated from the program — over $48.6 million in just its first month of operation — to bond out and secure $15 billion that will fund its capital needs. Those include making long-overdue updates like modernizing decades-old signal systems across the subway and making many more stations wheelchair-accessible.
During the rally, Hochul listed the program’s benefits, saying it has decreased traffic in the congestion zone, lessened air pollution, and driven more customers to local businesses.
“Not only is traffic down and business is up…but also subway ridership is up and crime is down,” Hochul said as the crowd cheered “Traffic down and business is up.”
Traffic in the congestion zone — also known as the Central Business District (CBD) — is down 11% in the congestion zone in February compared to the same time last year, according to MTA data provided by Hochul’s office. Additionally, commuters are saving up to 21 minutes per trip and bus service is faster in the congestion zone.
There were also 19% more people going to Broadway shows in January and February compared to the same time last year, according to data shared by Hochul’s office. And there was a 5% increase in restaurant reservations in the CBD between January and mid-March, when contrasted with the same period in 2024.
Jeffrey LeFrancois, executive director of the Meatpacking District Management Association, said, “Public transit is the lifeblood of New York City, and improving the system is good for business, it’s good for the Meatpacking District, and it’s certainly good for the region.”
“The easier we make navigating all that makes this city special, the better,” he added. “And easing traffic flow makes streets quieter and more efficient, and if there’s one thing business loves, it’s efficiency.”
