Cuomo Is in Their Corner. But Is Congestion Pricing Stalled?

NEW YORK — It has all the elements of a successful political campaign: a six-figure media blitz, grass-roots rallies and dozens of influential backers.

But congestion pricing’s prospects remain uncertain — not for the first time — as the April 1 deadline for a state budget rapidly approaches with no agreement among Albany political leaders.

Congestion pricing has been in political limbo for weeks since Fix NYC, a state task force assembled by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, called for charging a daily fee — $11.52 for passenger cars — to drive into a congestion zone in Manhattan from 60th Street south to the Battery at busy times, as part of a plan to reduce gridlock on the streets and raise money for the struggling subway below. The task force also recommended a $2 to $5 per-ride surcharge on for-hire vehicles, including yellow taxis and Ubers.

The task force’s plan has been backed by Fix NYC Transit, a broad coalition of more than 80 transportation, environmental, labor, business, real estate and religious groups, which paid for the media campaign. But opponents have argued that a congestion zone could unfairly penalize residents of the boroughs outside Manhattan and in the suburbs who may have to drive in because they have no easy access to public transit.

The congestion zone was conspicuously missing from budget proposals by the Republican-led Senate and the Democrat-dominated Assembly, though political aides and advocates said it was being negotiated behind the scenes.

However, there appears to be wider support for some kind of per-ride surcharge on for-hire vehicles, whose numbers have surged since the advent of ride-hailing apps. Assembly leaders have even offered their own version of a surcharge, saying that it is not a congestion-pricing measure but a way to fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the city’s subway and bus system.

It was Cuomo, a Democrat facing re-election in November, who almost single-handedly revived congestion pricing last summer after decades of failed efforts. But he has come under increasing criticism from some advocates who say that he has not aggressively lined up legislative support for it the way he did with other divisive issues such as same-sex marriage and the minimum wage — a comparison that the governor’s aides reject.

Last week, more than 100 transit riders and advocates rallied outside the governor’s office in midtown Manhattan during the evening commute to press for action on congestion pricing. “Where it really matters, he’s not in the game,” said Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group. “We’re feeling abandoned, and that feeling is spreading quickly to everyone who relies on the transit system.”

John Raskin, executive director of the Riders Alliance, another advocacy group, said that strong leadership from the governor was crucial because he dominates the budget and legislative process in Albany and controls the MTA. “The subways are a mess, Gotham is in trouble, and we’ve been flashing the bat signal,” he said. “It just seems like the governor hasn’t decided yet whether he’s going to rescue us.”

Cuomo has repeatedly said that congestion pricing is one of his priorities. His aides pointed out that relatively few state legislators — including Democratic Assembly members from New York City — have publicly supported congestion pricing compared with the broad legislative support for marriage equality and the minimum wage going into budget negotiations.

On a recent conference call with a congestion-pricing supporters, Cuomo reassured them that he was not backing down and would push for a plan that included a congestion zone, according to people familiar with the discussion who did not want to be identified discussing a private conversation. And during an interview Friday on WNYC radio, Cuomo again reiterated the need for congestion pricing, saying “I’m pushing that very hard.”

“But congestion pricing doesn’t happen in one fell swoop,” he continued. “There are phases to the congestion pricing and I’m cautiously optimistic that we could start the process.”

In recent days, the governor and his aides have negotiated with Assembly leaders for a phased-in approach to a congestion zone that could be easier to pass than a fully formulated plan, according to aides and advocates. Under this approach, authorization for around $200 million could be included in this year’s budget for the infrastructure to create a congestion zone. The actual details of how it would operate — such as boundaries, fee amounts and hours, and any exemptions — would not be hammered out until next year, or later. “The Fix NYC panel of experts recommended a phased approach to congestion pricing, and the governor has been strongly pushing that strategy in budget negotiations, which continue as we speak,” said Peter Ajemian, a spokesman for the governor.

Kathryn Wylde, a member of the task force who is president and chief executive officer of the Partnership for New York City, a group of the city’s top business leaders, concurred that “the governor has been actively pushing negotiations to move forward the Fix NYC recommendations.”

Scott Rechler, another member of the task force, urged Assembly leaders in particular to join the governor in backing congestion pricing since many of the members, including the speaker, Carl E. Heastie, represent city residents who would directly benefit. “With the state of our transit crisis and the congestion on our streets, it’s time for the Assembly and Senate to recognize the severity of the problem and step up and be part of a comprehensive solution,” he said.

Senate leaders have repeatedly expressed concerns about imposing any additional financial burdens on New Yorkers. Scott Reif, a spokesman for the Senate, said that the absence of congestion pricing from their one-house budget “indicated that more discussion was necessary on this issue.” With the budget deadline looming, Alex Matthiessen, founder and director of Move NY, an early proponent of congestion pricing that has expanded into the Fix NYC Transit coalition, said supporters were pushing hard to ensure that infrastructure funding for a congestion zone be included in the budget.

“Albany lawmakers have to decide whether they’re willing to face their voters this fall after returning home empty-handed when they had the chance to squarely address a transit and traffic crisis that imperils the economic lives of millions of New Yorkers across the city, region and state,” he said.