Congestion pricing pause causes delays in NYC subway accessibility plans

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Last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a delay in the city's congestion pricing plan. The plan was expected to generate the funding necessary to complete improvements making more subway and commuter rail stations accessible throughout the city. Now, New Yorkers living with disabilities are feeling the effects of that delay. "The MTA is an essential service that makes New York possible and it must be funded," said Janno Lieber, president and CEO of the MTA . The governor's plan to charge most motorists a fee for entering and exiting popular areas of New York City has been placed on an indefinite pause. As a result of this, and after relying on what would have been billions of dollars generated by the congestion pricing plan, the MTA is re-designing their course of action to make subways and commuter rails around the city accessible. According to the MTA, just 151 subway and commuter rail stations are currently accessible throughout New York City - something they say they are working to improve. In a story reported by News 12 New York last week, the Center for Independence of the Disabled is preparing to file a lawsuit against the MTA for what they call a failure to live up to an agreement to put elevators in 95% of subway stations by 2055. "We assess the situation, develop thoughtful policy responses motivated by our shared passion for mass transit and what it delivers to this city, and to be relentless about executing like the affective business organization that the MTA is becoming," said Leiber. According to the MTA's website, they have indeed begun making accessibility upgrades at 21 stations across the five boroughs. "