A Manhattan Federal District Judge ordered a temporary order against the Trump Administration’s efforts to end the New York City congestion price program a day before the U.S. Secretary’s term, Sean Duffy, begins to retain federal approvals and funding for various New York road and traffic projects.
Judge Lewis J. Liman’s ruling on May 27 maintains the first program of this type, which imposed reduction in traffic congestion, while financed billions of dollars for metro, bus and other transport projects, at least until June 9.
The toll program, which came into force on January 5, charges most passenger cars leading to Manhattan’s leave a $ 9 share during rush hours. Liman’s order pumps the United States Department’s brakes on February 19’s decision to terminate its previous approval for the financing of the Metropolitan Transport Authority Program Program. MTA immediately responded to the federal decision with a lawsuit claiming that the federal effort to finish the program was “illegal”.
The agency now asks Liman to permanently declare the null termination.
When issuing the temporary restraint order, Liman said that stopping the ARA program would cause “ irreparable damage to the state of New York ”, according to media reports, and that a “ long -term protection order ” is proposed, saying that the program that has suffered years of state, federals and premises has shown a “ probability of success ”.
Liman noted the data that the program has reduced the traffic since it was implemented in January and which MTA is on the way to fund $ 15 billion of assorted traffic projects, including phase 2 of the $ 7.7 million metro extension of the second avenue.
Despite an agreement last month between Dot and New York Federal officials to keep the program at least until mid -summer, Duffy later set a May 28 period for New York to cancel congestion prices or lose some federal funding.
The secretary has argued that the program is unjustly charged by drivers and that mass traffic projects should not be funded mainly by tolls. In a post on social media on March 20, DFFY said that “New York illegitimate illegitimate pricing regime charges working-class citizens to use their roads for federal tax dollars already paid to build them. We will provide New York a 30-day extension as discussions continue. You know that the billions of dollars sent to New York. fulfill the light.
Carlo A. Scissura, President and CEO of the New York Building CongressHe said he is not “surprised” by the judge’s sentence and, in fact, is “excited”.
“The neoyorcan people have seen the many advantages of this policy that changes parts in a few months,” Scissura said in a statement published after the ruling, “and we look forward to the end of these lawsuits and a brighter future with congestion price funds that allow MTA construction projects and make them sink.”
The congestion price coalition Now, a congestion price defense group, said in a statement that the program works.
“Traffic is downhill, business has increased, journeys are faster, and neoyorcan people breathe more easily,” the group said in their statement. “The data clearly shows that the relief of congestion works and that the [Trump] Continuous administration efforts to end this success program are misuse of the time, resources and dollars of taxpayers. Traffic is the life life of the economy of our region and every day the cameras are moving forward, it advances a healthy, affordable and more equitable future. “
