New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer urged New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to halt the city’s contentious congestion pricing plan amid the ongoing NJ Transit strike that is causing significant disruptions for commuters, he stated on Friday.
“I am calling on Gov. Hochul to pause the congestion fees for those who now have to drive into the city and, naturally, address our tolls in New Jersey because I’ve received numerous complaints from individuals noting an increase in their costs,” the Democratic congressman explained during a press call.
“We need to give them some relief until this is over,” he said, adding the tax should be scrapped until trains are running again.
He further insisted on full refunds of tolls, encompassing charges from the Port Authority, E-Z Pass, and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, for New Jersey commuters who possess a NJ Transit monthly unlimited trips pass.
NJ Transit failed to reach a contract agreement with locomotive engineers Wednesday, triggering the first major transit strike to hit the Garden State in more than 40 years.
The strike was a travel nightmare Friday for the roughly 70,000 riders who go into Manhattan daily, as some train stations sat eerily empty. Up to 350,000 commuters statewide may have also been left stranded by the halted service.
Gottheimer, who last year called Hochul’s revived congestion pricing plan “insane,” said the strike has also put local businesses and commuters in “a tough spot.”
“We can’t afford to have our great transit system frozen,” he said, urging both sides to stick out negotiations. “Grab that pot of coffee and stay at the table.”
Gottheimer, a moderate representing the bedroom communities that border the Jersey side of the Hudson River near the George Washington Bridge, added that, “Congress should step in” if the parties can’t work it out on their own.
Hochul’s congestion pricing plan charges a $9 toll for vehicles entering Manhattan south of 60th Street during peak hours, generating tens of millions of dollars in monthly revenue.
“Representative Gottheimer should focus on helping to resolve the dispute with New Jersey’s dedicated transit workers instead of looking to New York for a bailout,” a spokesperson for Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote to The Post in a statement Friday.
