Advocates of congestion pricing seek to have New York Governor Kathy Hochul appear in court.

Governor New York Kathy Hochul.Photo byGovernor Kathy Hochul From Flickr

Local supporters accuse the governor of not having the right to have ordered the MTA to halt the Manhattan tolling scheme last month, and they filed two lawsuits against her on Thursday. The original plan was for it to begin on June 30, but Hochul abruptly announced that it would not proceed.

One case was filed by the City Club of New York and two residents of Hell's Kitchen. The complaint claims that Hochul's decision to stop charging tolls violates the 2019 state law that originally authorized congestion pricing.

Hochul's Decision To Stop The Tolls

The New York City comptroller, Brad Lander, has been using his office to help with case organization for the past month. They stand for the strongest opposition to Hochul's June 5 decision to end the tolls.

The concept was to impose a fixed noon toll of $15 on cars entering Manhattan from south of 60th Street. Legally speaking, the initiative had to cover the cost of various enhancements to the city's public transportation network.

MTA Will Postpone $16.5B In Upgrades

The MTA declared last month that, in response to Hochul's order to stop congestion charging, it would postpone $16.5 billion in upgrades. These include the Second Avenue Subway's next phase, which plans to buy new train carriages and install new signals to expedite subway service.

The government planned to make 72 stations accessible as part of its current building schedule. Due to a shortage of funding, MTA officials announced that 23 of the stations will not receive the promised elevators.