Looking Back at Rockland County's Response to Threat of Congestion Pricing

by M.C. Millman

 The long-contested congestion pricing plan never made sense for Rockland County from day one, and Rockland's elected leaders voiced their concerns and opposition loud and clear right at the start of the threat, as reported by Rockland Daily here. 

Two years later, the ill-conceived notion of charging commuters $15 per day to travel below 60th Street in Manhattan has been put on the back burner -  not canceled as it should be but postponed. 

Looking back at what Rockland's elected officials wrote in September 2022 reminds those who might have forgotten the reasons why congestion pricing was an ill-conceived notion from the start. 

The letter in support of Rockland residents stated that unlike communities east of the Hudson with nearly 45 train stations, Rockland County has only five stations, none of which go directly into Manhattan. The letter went on to say that Congestion pricing “amounts to an unfair tax to subsidize a transit system that does not equitably serve our community.”

The letter also states, “For the past decade, we were forced to subsidize mass transit for the rest of our region as we contributed millions of dollars annually - far more than the MTA invests into our County. The complete disregard of the residents who live West of the Hudson has been evident in every step of the congestion pricing plan as we don’t even have a voice at the table when decisions are made on these matters.”

The letter concludes with a request that Rockland County residents be exempt from congestion pricing as long as there is no viable one-seat ride option into Manhattan.