The MTA Board’s decision to uphold Governor Hochul’s pause on New York’s congestion pricing plan was a welcome step that will prevent serious economic disruption not only in the five boroughs, but throughout the tri-state region.
Supported by a plurality According to New York voters across all demographics, including city residents, the move reflects the Hochul administration’s commitment to keeping consumer costs low amid an ongoing affordability crisis.
The current plan would have undermined the trucking industry’s ability to profitably deliver goods to and from Manhattan, and ultimately, drivers, businesses and consumers would have footed the bill.
While Hochul’s decision is sound in itself, the timing — so close to the congestion pricing plan’s planned implementation date of June 30 — has understandably caused confusion and speculation about the program’s future.
New Yorkers rely on lawmakers to think critically and act intentionally when developing public policy, and the upheaval around congestion pricing has highlighted the need for a long-term, holistic strategy to address traffic, air quality, transit options, and project prioritization.
The trucking industry, and the businesses and consumers who rely on us, would certainly benefit from this. Truck drivers ply the city’s roads to deliver 90 percent of the goods in New York City. Inefficiency costs us all time and money, not to mention the stress of navigating traffic. supports their mental health. The city is really “Nothing without trucking.”
The piecemeal approach to this issue limits the trucking industry’s ability to best meet the city’s needs and restricts the effectiveness of the logistics and transportation sectors. But let’s be clear: delaying a bad plan alone won’t solve the congestion problem.
There are many ways to reduce congestion, but they require a serious commitment from legislators to invest in them. Most recently, for example, Mayor Adams’ proposed “microhubs” initiative The city of Yes to zoning reform for economic opportunities was excluded from the program. The initiative would have paved the way for citywide traffic reduction by creating centralized delivery hubs so that New York City trucks could have a single drop-off point to deliver their goods. Once the trucks made their deliveries to the microhub, they would be transferred to smaller vehicles, cargo bikes or even handcarts to make the final delivery.
The pilot program was a pivot pillar Adams administration’s efforts to transform the last mile of deliveries across the city. We strongly support this idea and believe it would create a more efficient and sustainable freight network, while creating a more localized workforce.
As the MTA found in a 2017 study, truck traffic is inelastic All over the city. In other words, trucks make deliveries when businesses ask them to. It is also impossible to transport heavy goods and everyday goods via Metro-North, PATH, Long Island Rail Road, D train or intercity bus.
Off-peak deliveries, another pillar of the Adams administration’s agenda that we fully support, will not be enabled by reduced off-peak rates because that does not help to adjust traffic in the long term, since the off-peak push requires buy-in from businesses, many of which, for various reasons, are unable to accept off-peak deliveries.
Centralized delivery centers are essential to scaling the off-peak delivery schedule because they eliminate the need for businesses to accept off-peak deliveries, as trucks could deliver overnight, and last-mile vehicles would then distribute the goods to businesses based on their daily delivery schedule.
The micro-hubs outlined in the Yes City’s original proposal would have actually solved many of the problems that congestion pricing claimed to solve. They would have made it easier for our industry to self-regulate and work to reduce congestion and emissions while ensuring the economic success of New York’s small businesses.
Yet New York City remains too focused on a one-size-fits-all approach that is unlikely to produce the desired results, while intentionally harming consumers. There is a path to building a safe, sustainable, and efficient freight network in New York, but it requires a big picture and hard work, not catchy slogans and fancy press releases.
Miller is the director of metropolitan area operations for the Trucking Association of New York.
