Feds Should Stop Congestion Pricing: HV Congressional Candidate

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Federal officials should reject New York City's plan to charge a congestion fee for drivers in Midtown Manhattan, said Chele Chiavacci Farley, the Republican and Conservative candidate challenging Sean Patrick Maloney in New York's 18th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley.

State officials agreed last year to implement a congestion charge that will affect passenger vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street. The proposal to ease continuous traffic snarls is also backed by city officials including Mayor Bill de Blasio.

However, the Metropolitan Transit Authority requires the Federal Highway Administration's blessing before it can implement its plan because roads that will be included in the fee zone either receive federal funding or are considered part of the interstate highway. SEE: Feds Could Throw Wrench Into NYC's Congestion Plan: Report.

And well they should, said Farley in a statement released Thursday.

I strongly urge the federal government to deny the implementation of this onerous new tax which will hurt commuters and NYC businesses alike. It’s the typical Democrat response to any issue—-just keep taxing in order to keep spending.

New York residents and businesses already pay some of the highest, most exorbitant taxes in the country and it is causing a mass exodus from our state. According to a recent report from Bloomberg, almost 300 residents are leaving NYC every day, more than double the number from a year ago! Historically, NYC was a mecca for all types of lucrative businesses including finance, banking, fashion, media and communications, but technology today makes it much easier to work from anywhere in the country. So, our residents leave, and our businesses follow, and as this trend continues, taxes will need to be increased again, to cover the loss in revenue. As the tax base continues to erode, so do public services and the quality of life. It is a cycle that we cannot sustain.

New Yorkers already get the worst deal in the country. We send $50 billion more of our tax dollars to Washington than we get back – every year! Meanwhile, our roads, bridges and mass transit systems are crumbling and in need of repair. Our taxes continue to creep higher, as families struggle to make ends meet. That is why I am running for Congress in NY’s 18th District. We need someone in Washington who is focused on getting our fair share of the money back and will make sure funds are available to fix the problems we face. It’s time to send all the tax-and-spend Democrats back home this coming November.

A spokesman for the Federal Highway Administration told the Wall Street Journal that an environmental review will be conducted before the agency takes action on the plan.

Commuters' reactions to the congestion fee worry many politicians in areas of Manhattan north of the tolling zone. Some are considering the idea of reserving street parking for residents. They fear that suburban and outer-borough drivers may be tempted to park just north of the congestion zone instead of paying the toll.

The 18th Congressional District includes all of Orange County and Putnam County, plus parts of southern Dutchess County and northeastern Westchester County.

By Brendan Krisel, Patch Staff. Patch Editor Lanning Taliaferro contributed to this report.