Hochul assures congestion pricing pause ‘temporary,’ NYC business leader says

Amid the fallout from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision Wednesday to indefinitely pause the rollout of congestion pricing, Kathy Wylde, the president and CEO of Partnership for New York City, told NY1 Thursday morning that the governor promised her the pause is only “temporary.”

“The governor assured me that this is temporary, that it’s a pause, so there’s an opportunity now. We do have to make a strong campaign to describe what the benefits are,” Wylde said during an interview on “Mornings On 1.”

Wylde, a vocal supporter of congestion pricing for years and one of the city’s most prominent business leaders, said her reaction to Hochul’s decision was “surprise and disappointment.”

The tolling plan, which was slated to launch June 30, would have charged drivers who entered 60th Street and below in Manhattan.

Wylde said she shared her frustrations with the governor, who she said is truly worried about the economic burden the toll might have on everyday New Yorkers.

“She, I think, genuinely is concerned about the affordability crisis that we all know we have in the city and state, but I think there is a misunderstanding of how much excess traffic congestion costs us,” Wylde said, pointing to studies the Partnership for NYC completed five years ago that showed the city lost $20 billion a year in productivity.

As for what comes next, Wylde was adamant that supporters of congestion pricing, both in the business community and political arena, should mount a vigorous campaign for the implementation of congestion pricing.

“We do have to make a strong campaign to describe what the benefits are,” she said.