Opt out Rockland from congestion pricing scheme, lawmakers say: Rockland Angle

Haverstraw village, and a couple long and loud CSX trains, served as a backdrop last week as state and local officials railed against the newest congestion pricing plan that would sock drivers who head into Midtown Manhattan.

"Frankly, it's bull----," state Sen. Elijah Reichlin-Melnick said of the added fee for Rockland who have few workable options besides taking their vehicles into NYC.

Reichlin-Melnick and State Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski are planning legislation that would scratch congestion pricing fees for Rockland and Orange County commuters who cross the Gov. Mario Cuomo Bridge (or, as Reichlin-Melnick called it, the Tappan Zee) or George Washington Bridge.

They were joined by Haverstraw town and village officials on Aug. 24 alongside the railway off New Main Street.

The location -along the CSX West Shore line that decades ago served commuters - underscored the deficit that Rocklanders say they suffer from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The press conference was delayed and then interrupted as long freight trains loaded with cargo rumbled by with the whistle blowing.

Haverstraw Town Supervisor Howard Phillips looked over at the tracks that run parallel to Route 9W, recalling the commuter rail that once served northern Rockland. MTA has shown no interest in expanding service, he said, but then "come back to the residents and hit them with another tax."

While Rockland pays the same amount of sales tax toward the MTA as other areas of the MTA region, including the boroughs, Rockland is among the counties that just have a fraction of a vote on the MTA board.

The new tolls to enter the Central Business District of Manhattan, the area below 60th Street, could range from $9 to $23 during peak hours, $7 to $17 during off-peak hours, or $5 to $12 overnight, according to models used by the report's authors to study the tolling program. Drivers would be charged electronically.

The legislation proposes providing a break for Rockland and Orange commuters, using EZ-Pass technology. The lawmakers also said they would also want to explore those counties leaving the MTA. "Maybe we would be better off having our own" transit agency.

Meanwhile, Assemblyman Mike Lawler, a Pearl River Republican, introduced legislation in 2021 that would repeal congestion pricing. It remains in the transportation committee.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day also is among local officials pushing residents to write and testify against congestion pricing.

The extra money from congestion pricing tolls won't be invested in boosted service for west-of-Hudson commuters. Instead, local officials have said, it would be used to plug the perpetual fiscal problems of the MTA, exacerbated by pandemic slowdowns.

"The MTA is upside-down," Zebrowski said. The West-of-Hudson corridor has long suffered with a "value gap," the West Nyack Democrat said, with a lot more tax dollars going into the agency than the value of the substandard service provided.

"We're a transit desert," Reichlin-Melnick, a Nyack Democrat, said. Rockland has five rail stations, which piggyback service provided by NJ Transit. Haverstraw commuters who don't want to drive can take a ferry with limited service to the Ossining Metro-North station, he said, or a bus that takes well over an hour to reach Midtown.

Rockland residents provide the police, firefighters, nurses that make up the New York City workforce, the lawmakers said.

"Folks from Rockland don't drive into the city because they want to," said Zebrowski, a West Nyack Democrat. "They drive into the city because they have to."

Hearings take place over the next two weeks. Find a schedule, go to mta.info and search "congestion pricing." Or go here. Those who want to comment can follow the link to sign up.

Have a story tip or feedback about Rockland news? Drop me a line: ncutler@lohud.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rockland Angle newsletter for Monday August 29 2022