Environmental and transit advocacy groups, along with the MTA, are suing USDOT over its recent crusade to end the cordon pricing program.
The Sierra Club joined the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and other groups in filing legal action against the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) for its attempt to end New York City’s congestion pricing program.
According to a press release from the Sierra Club, “The legal complaint charges that the Trump administration made serious legal mistakes in its rush to deprive New Yorkers of the benefits of Congestion Pricing, and that these mistakes suggest that the administration is acting pretextually.” The program raised $48.6 million in its first month and has been shown to reduce congestion and improve travel times.
“We’re filing today’s case because congestion relief is saving us time on buses, fixing our aging subways, and improving our health. We can’t afford to go back.” — Riders Alliance Executive Director Betsy Plum
The new lawsuit argues that the plan to end the program has a flawed legal basis. “The letter states that federal law has never contemplated ‘cordon pricing’ as a permissible congestion pricing strategy, except where toll-free options are available to drivers. In fact, cordon pricing has for decades been recognized by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as a form of congestion pricing, and it authorized cordon pricing projects more than twenty years ago.”
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