Congestion pricing’s pluses

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“The MTA admitted in their own report that the Congestion Tax will increase traffic and cancer-causing air pollution in Jersey and the outer boroughs,” Gottheimer said. “New York’s anti-environment, anti-commuter and anti-business Congestion Tax is nothing but a bailout for the terribly mismanaged MTA — and that’s why there is strong bipartisan support in Congress to stop this cash grab.”

According to the two congressmen, New York City should forego a 20% decrease in traffic and cancer-causing pollution so the George Washington Bridge doesn’t get a 1% increase in traffic.

And yes the MTA has been mismanaged in the past and could run a tighter ship now.

But does that mean we deprive them of a needed source of funding that will help keep fares down now?

D’Esposito would better serve his constituents by pressing the MTA to provide more direct train service to Penn Station and Grand Central and low-cost parking around Nassau’s train stations. That would help boost local businesses around train stations in Nassau County.

New York City is a convenient scapegoat for suburban officials of both parties.

But opponents of congestion pricing should spend more time trying to find solutions to problems in their own backyards and not choking the metropolitan area’s economic golden goose.