Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Gov. Hochul shows MTA 'pride' on day NYC congestion pricing would have begun
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Jun 30, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gotham/Getty Images
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Jun 30, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Congestion pricing may be on an indefinite pause, but Gov. Kathy Hochul still showed her MTA "pride" on Sunday while marching in the Pride March in Manhattan – the same day the tolling program would have gone into effect.
The governor halted the plan earlier this month to the satisfaction of some commuters outside of Manhattan, and dismay of public transit advocates, who said the program would have helped to fund the MTA with billions of dollars each year.
The governor posted a clip to social media on Sunday, showing herself wearing the shirt with an MTA logo on a Pride flag heart. The image was met with snark from some transit advocates online.
“You have got to be kidding me with this MTA shirt. No one is fooled @GovKathyHochul - you betrayed the @MTA and all of us riders,” Co-Executive Director at OpenPlans Sara Lind said.
“She's trolling New York City. The gall to wear an MTA shirt on today of all days. Just complete contempt for New Yorkers,” transit advocate and The War On Cars podcast co-host Doug Gordon said.
With tolling cameras already in place, the agency was slated to begin charging drivers a $15 dollar daytime fee to enter Manhattan below 60th Street starting June 30. The funds collected would have gone towards investments such as new subway cars, upgrades to aging track equipment and the extension of the Second Avenue subway.
But Hochul’s decision to suspend the program left the MTA with a colossal financial hole in its budget.
The governor defended her move on MSNBC earlier Sunday morning.
"I will say this as well: we have a system that's 106 years old,” Hochul said. “We have made billions of dollars in investments — I'm continuing to announce even more. Nothing that was on the drawing books is going to be delayed, we'll make sure it gets done."
During a board meeting last week, the MTA reported the opposite. There, transit officials laid out $16.5 billion dollars of projects that's now on hold due to Hochul's move, including the extension of the Second Avenue subway into East Harlem.
On Sunday, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander issued another statement blasting Hochul’s decision, which he argued is illegal under the MTA Reform Act of 2019.
“Subway and bus riders are the bread and butter of our city’s working class and the whole region’s economy,” Lander said. “Today should have been the day they had confidence in investments for new signals, on-time trains, accessible stations, and expanded service. Instead, as a result of the Governor’s eleventh-hour, unlawful decision to indefinitely postpone the legally-mandated congestion pricing program, working New Yorkers will face preventable subway delays, worsening gridlock, air quality alerts, and even MTA service cuts.”
Earlier this month, the comptroller put together a coalition of legal experts led by Columbia Law Professor Michael Gerrard to explore all possible legal paths to fight Hochul’s decision.
Tagged
new york city
Kathy Hochul
manhattan
transportation
Catalina Gonella
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .