Overview
- Gov. Kathy Hochul told businesses to shift deliveries to off-peak hours to cut toll costs, drawing pushback from trucking and livery groups that say overnight staffing makes the idea unworkable.
- Hochul has barred the MTA from imposing the state‑authorized 25% surcharge on designated Gridlock Alert days, a move transit advocates say undercuts efforts to ease holiday traffic.
- Small firms and delivery providers report passing congestion costs to customers, sometimes outside the zone, citing administrative burdens and truck tolls that can reach $21.60 per trip.
- The MTA says it has exceeded its $500 million first‑year revenue target and reports double‑digit drops in vehicles entering the zone, while Port Authority counts and other analysts show smaller declines and question the agency’s methods and cited polls.
- The Justice Department asked U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman to rule on the case, after federal officials moved to withdraw approval earlier this year; a temporary order has kept the tolls in place while litigation continues.