Bill Text: NJ SR140 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Opposes City of New York congestion pricing plan.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-05-16 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Transportation Committee [SR140 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2018-SR140-Introduced.html

SENATE RESOLUTION No. 140

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

218th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED MAY 16, 2019

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  JOSEPH P. CRYAN

District 20 (Union)

Senator  PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.

District 18 (Middlesex)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Opposes City of New York congestion pricing plan.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  


A Senate Resolution opposing the City of New York's congestion pricing plan adopted by the State of New York.

 

Whereas, As a part of the 2019-2020 budget, the State of New York enacted several measures designed to generate additional revenue streams to fix various fiscal needs in the state, which included a congestion pricing plan to generate $15 billion to fund the operations of and improvements to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) subway system, rail transit lines, and bus service; and

Whereas, The first of its kind in the United States, the congestion pricing plan is modeled after a plan established in London, England in 2003 that reduced traffic by 30 percent in central London in the first year; however, congestion has sharply across the city, according to a report by the Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee; and  

Whereas, Under the plan to be implemented in City of New York, vehicles driving in Manhattan on streets below 60th street may be charged as much as $12 per passenger vehicle or $25 per commercial vehicle per day, beginning on or after January 1, 2021, with credits, discounts, and exemptions to be determined by the newly created Traffic Mobility Review Board; and

Whereas, Under the current congestion pricing plan, those commuters who have paid a toll to enter Manhattan using the Lincoln Tunnel or Holland Tunnel will receive a credit without being charged an additional congestion pricing plan toll, however that credit will not extend to those commuters who have paid a toll to enter Manhattan using the George Washington Bridge; and

Whereas, New Jersey residents in passenger vehicles who commute across the George Washington Bridge, one of the most expensive bridge crossings in the region at $15, will be forced to pay twice to enter Manhattan on streets below 60th street, which could total over $25 per passenger vehicle per day under the congestion pricing plan; and

Whereas, The cost prohibitive nature of the congestion pricing plan may lead many New Jersey motorists to use the Lincoln Tunnel or Holland Tunnel, which may cause more congestion on the already overused tunnels that are in desperate need of repair; and

Whereas, The congestion pricing plan may also lead to significantly greater use of the constrained and aging transit systems operated by the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) or the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (PATH) without the corresponding capital funding to support those systems to mitigate the impact of those additional commuters as the State of New York's budget called for the funding to be used exclusively for MTA operations and improvements despite the fact that New Jersey residents are making significant contributions to this new revenue raiser; and

Whereas, In response to the plan, Governor Murphy has requested in letter to Governor Cuomo that a portion of the revenue generated be provided to the NJ Transit and PATH transit systems and that exemptions to the congestion pricing plan be considered for commuters who cross the George Washington Bridge due to the significant impact that this plan has on New Jersey residents; and

Whereas, Although the State of New York has the ultimate authority over the City of New York and the toll facilities located entirely within the State of New York, tens of thousands of New Jersey residents utilize Manhattan streets below 60th street each day to get to work, school, family, and other important points of interest in the Central Business District; and 

Whereas, With the interconnectedness of the citizens, workforce, and economies of the State of New York and the State of New Jersey, it is disappointing that the State of New York would institute a congestion pricing plan that fails to treat residents of the State of New Jersey fairly and equally, now, therefore,

 

     Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    This House opposes the City of New York's congestion pricing plan adopted by the State of New York.

 

     2.    Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Governor of the State of New Jersey, the Governor of the State of New York, the Mayor of the City of New York, and the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This resolution opposes the City of New York congestion pricing plan adopted by the State of New York.

     As a part of the 2019-2020 budget, the State of New York enacted a congestion pricing plan to fund the operations of and improvements to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) public transit systems.  Under the plan to be implemented in the City of New York, vehicles driving in Manhattan on streets below 60th street may be charged as much as $12 per passenger vehicle or $25 per commercial vehicle per day, beginning on or after January 1, 2021, with credits, discounts, and exemptions to be determined by the newly created Traffic Mobility Review Board.  Commuters, who have paid a toll to enter Manhattan using the Lincoln or Holland Tunnels, will receive a credit without being charged an additional congestion pricing plan toll. However, that credit will not extend to those commuters who have paid a toll to enter Manhattan using the George Washington Bridge, forcing them to pay twice to enter Manhattan on streets below 60th street.

     The cost prohibitive nature of the congestion pricing plan may lead many New Jersey motorists to utilize the already overused and in desperate need of repair Lincoln or Holland Tunnels or the constrained and aging transit systems operated by the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) or the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (PATH).  Unfortunately, corresponding capital funding will not be provided NJ Transit or PATH to support that infrastructure and mitigate the impact of those additional commuters despite the fact that New Jersey residents are making significant contributions to this new revenue raiser.  Although the State of New York has the ultimate authority over the City of New York and the toll facilities located entirely within the State of New York, it is disappointing that the State of New York would institute a congestion pricing plan that fails to treat residents of the State of New Jersey fairly and equally considering the interconnectedness of the citizens, workforce, and economies of the State of New York and the State of New Jersey.

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