Empire State Today

In a recent piece for the Daily News, Christian Browne criticized Governor Hochul's handling of the congestion pricing scheme. Browne likened the governor's "indefinite pause" on the plan to the decision by the inventors of New Coke to withdraw their product from the market.

Browne argued that Governor Hochul attempted to sell the scheme through press conferences, using climate change rhetoric aimed at activists. He pointed out that there was never substantial public support for congestion pricing and suggested that political leaders failed to recognize the opposition such a toll would generate among an already heavily taxed populace.

The article also noted that congestion pricing is challenging to promote, even for skilled politicians. Browne suggested that, after passing it into law, Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams could have fostered public support by presenting a clear reform plan for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). This plan would ideally outline how the agency would cut its operating expenses in exchange for new revenue generated from congestion pricing.