East Hudson Valley News

In the suburbs, opposition to congestion pricing has united political figures across party lines. Shortly after the toll's implementation, Democratic State Senator James Skoufis proposed legislation aimed at removing Orange County from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). This initiative has received backing from a bipartisan group that includes Assemblymembers Jonathan Jacobson, Paula Kay, Chris Eachus, Karl Brabenec, and Brian Maher, alongside State Senator Rob Rolison.

Rob Rolison, a Republican representing Poughkeepsie, indicated that efforts on this bill might persist regardless of the fate of congestion pricing. "As a stand-alone measure, that could still happen," Rolison stated. "Pulling Orange County out of the MTA is a larger issue than congestion pricing."

Concerns have arisen among advocates who fear that ending congestion pricing could exacerbate the MTA's funding gap and undermine plans for infrastructure enhancements both within and outside New York City. In her State of the State Address, Governor Hochul had outlined several improvements for Hudson Valley transit, including initiatives designed to expedite Metro-North journeys. However, Rolison suggests that terminating congestion pricing does not necessarily mean abandoning infrastructure projects.

Rolison proposes conducting an independent forensic audit of the MTA to explore available options. He emphasized the significance of transparency in regaining public trust: "The MTA is a very important operation for this region. Getting people to move about that don't have access to cars or getting people out of cars is a worthwhile endeavor," he remarked. "But we just gotta be more transparent about it. We really need to understand and get the trust back to the people who pay the bill."