It was a busy but productive week for StreetsPAC, as our City Council endorsees swept their primary races, congestion pricing cleared its final regulatory hurdle, and we provided testimony to two hearings of the City Council's Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
StreetsPAC's Endorsees Sweep City Council Primaries
Congratulations to Christopher Marte, Carlina Rivera, Shekar Krishnan, Julie Won, and Jennifer Gutiérrez, all of whom won their City Council primary races on Tuesday after earning our endorsement.
They'll be among 13 StreetsPAC-endorsed Council candidates on the ballot for November's general election, a list that we expect to grow in the coming months as we continue to collect questionnaire responses and interview candidates. Stay tuned!
Congestion Pricing Moves Ahead
We attended New York Governor Kathy Hochul's press conference on Tuesday at which she announced that the Federal Highway Administration had issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for New York City's congestion pricing program. Issuance of the FONSI means that the MTA can proceed with implementation of congestion pricing, including the setting of toll rates and installation of tolling gantries and other infrastructure.
Congestion pricing is expected to generate $1 billion annually for the transit system, while also speeding up travel within Manhattan's central business district. Implementation of congestion pricing may happen as soon as next spring.
We're proud to have been one of many organizations that have worked to support the adoption of North America's first congestion pricing effort. Kudos to Governor Hochul for her commitment to making it happen.
Council Hearings on Electric Vehicles and Ghost Cars
The City Council's Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing on the transition to electric vehicles on Friday, June 23rd, and we submitted testimony pointing out concerns about the weight and acceleration of electric cars and trucks and the use of curbside space, and underscored the need to develop charging infrastructure for e-bikes. You can read our full testimony here.
The following Monday, the Committee on Transportation held a joint oversight hearing with the Committee on Public Safety on the growing problem of "ghost cars." We testified in support of legislation that would increase penalties for operating vehicles with fraudulent, defaced, obscured, or expired license plates, as well as for selling fake temporary plates.
We also urged the creation of a task force that would include the NYPD, the New York City Sheriff, New York State DMV, and regional and federal transportation and law enforcement agencies to combat the ghost car issue, an idea for which the chairs of both Council committees expressed support.
