Lower East Side residents are the latest to file lawsuit against NYC’s controversial congestion pricing plan

NEW YORK – Residents of the Lower East Side joined a bevy of elected officers to file a category motion lawsuit to prevent congestion pricing. 

They’re the latest New Yorkers to declare the MTA dismissed the environmental affect on their group in pushing forward with the controversial plan. 

First, it used to be New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, adopted via the mayor of Fort Lee, and the borough president of Staten Island. Now it is individuals who survive the Lower East Side pronouncing congestion pricing will adversely affect their lives and important a full-scale environmental affect find out about prior to the tolling plan is going into impact. 

“I feel that my voice and the voices of my neighborhood have been ignored and dismissed,” Lower East Side resident Trevor Holland stated. 

Holland used to be one of the sign-carrying protestors being worried about the building up in air pollution brought about via congestion pricing, which is able to rate drivers steep charges to pressure into Manhattan’s Central Business District beneath sixtieth Street. 

“The MTA lies when it says that congestion pricing will have a positive impact on the Central Business District, and that it will help the environment. Their own environmental impact statement shows it will increase pollutants in this very community,” Lower East Side resident Lee Berman stated. 

The residents have been joined via a large number of public officers in submitting a category motion lawsuit. Several lawmakers represented so-called “transit deserts,” the place residents are compelled to pressure dur to the loss of mass transit choices. 

“Why isn’t there an environmental impact study on such a – it’s going to push, obviously, pollution around the other nieghborhoods. Why not? You know why. Because they might not like the results,” stated Councilman Robert Holden of Queens. “They did an environmental assessment study, which is essentially a rubber stamp. That’s how serious the MTA is.” 

With congestion pricing set to lift one thousand million bucks a 12 months for capital enhancements, others puzzled the talent of the company to spend cash properly. 

“Simply throwing more money down the black hole of a broken system is not the answer,” Councilwoman Vickie Paladino stated. 

The MTA defended its 4,000-page environmental evaluate, and insisted the environmental issues “will be reevaluated for the adopted tolling structure before tolling commences.” 

“It’s time to move forward and deal with the congestion that’s clogging roads and slowing down emergency vehicles, buses and commerce while also polluting the air we breathe,” John McCarthy of the MTA stated. 

Legal professionals stated residents could have a excellent case for a reevaluation of the coverage. 

“There’s a lot of moving parts here, but certainly the court is going to be given enough to chew on that they need to at least put the MTA’s feet to the fire about the environmental impact,” felony skilled David Schwartz stated. 

The MTA hopes congestion pricing will start in the spring, however with such a lot of other fits, it is unclear whether or not they will be in a position to.

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