NEW YORK (PIX11) -- A group of state lawmakers wants to see some transit improvements as congestion pricing is in the final stages of implementation.
They are also proposing $90 million in funding.
A group of state lawmakers is proposing $90 million in transit improvements including three free bus routes and increased service and reliability.
“New Yorkers want a better deal to change their minds about what they should do.,” said NY Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria). “We need to make sure express buses are running more frequently and they are more reliable.”
Mamdani will introduce a bill creating three more free bus routes and adding service. Five free routes were created in the fall and are being tested through March, they prioritized communities facing transit challenges.
The lawmakers at the event emphasized that they do support congestion pricing and added that they want to see it done correctly with options for commuters.
“Right now, the bus system is a system of last resort. We need to make it the first option for people,” said NY State Senator Michael Gianaris.
Assemblymembers Tony Simone (D-Manhattan) and Jessica Gonzales-Rojas (D-Corona/Jackson Heights) also attended the announcement.
The toll cameras have gone up along the boundaries in Manhattan for travel within the central district south of 60th Street and off the bridges, FDR, and Westside Highway.
The hearing will be held in March.
The MTA board will approve the final fee and exemptions.
MTA Chair Janno Lieber says the transit system has capacity and service has been added on half a dozen subway lines and the LIRR.
The MTA is on board with the new funding plans and wants the city to create more bus lanes and do more enforcement.
“The mayor has been a part of it. I love 2022 Eric Adams who wanted to be the bus mayor and push forward with bus lanes. We have to get back on the track,” said MTA Chairman.
In response, city hall said the Adams administration has spent two years making streets safer and improving commutes for nearly 700,000 daily bus riders by building and enhancing bus lanes from the North Bronx to Southern Brooklyn.
“With our partners in the state legislature, we delivered a major win with five free bus routes starting last fall. We continue to work with our partners in the MTA and with communities across the city to build on this record of success,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement.
A certain number of miles is to be constructed this year and the city has not met some goals.
Opponents of congestion pricing filed a federal lawsuit challenging the review process. The case is working its way through federal court.
MTA Chairman Lieber believes the congestion charge is still on track to begin after a judge issues a decision by late May or early June.
State law created the charges four years ago to raise money for the MTA’s major improvement projects in the transit system and railroads.
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