Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bridge Tolls

Move NY Toll Reform Picks Up Eight Sponsors in Assembly

Momentum is building in the state assembly for the Move NY toll reform plan. Image: Move NY
Momentum is building in the Assembly for the Move NY toll reform plan. Image: Move NY
Image: Move NY

Eight more Assembly members are supporting the Move NY toll reform plan, which would cut traffic and raise revenue for transit by increasing the price of driving into the Manhattan core while lowering tolls on outlying bridges. The Move NY bill (A09633) now has 23 sponsors in the 150-member Assembly and four (all Democrats) in the Republican-controlled, 62-member State Senate.

East Harlem Assembly Member Robert Rodriguez introduced legislation in March based on the plan. At the time it had 15 sponsors in the Assembly. A little more than 50 are needed to secure a majority of votes representing the 12-county MTA service region.

Today the coalition announced the support of eight additional assembly members from across the New York metropolitan region: Brian Kavanaugh of Manhattan; Annette Robinson of Brooklyn; Vivian Cook of eastern Queens; Tom Abinanti, David Buchwald, and Amy Paulin of Westchester County; and Earlene Hooper and Fred W. Thiele, Jr. of Long Island.

Two of those legislators -- Cook and Hooper -- decided to get behind the plan without meeting with proponents, Move NY campaign director Alex Matthiessen told Streetsblog.

“We think the fact that this bill continues to attract attention and assembly members are coming forward to support the plan and put their name on the bill -- it suggests that we have growing momentum,” Matthiessen said.

Under the legislation, new toll revenue would be invested in the region’s transportation infrastructure, with $7.3 billion going to the MTA’s five-year capital plan and $4.5 billion going to a new entity called the Transit Gap Investment Fund, which would direct $3.5 billion to subway and bus network improvements and $1 billion to transit access and streetscape improvements in the city. Another $700 million would fund transit improvements in Long Island and the Hudson Valley.

With today’s co-sponsor announcement, the Move NY Coalition also said that Rodriguez will amend the bill to set up separate Transit Gap Investment Fund boards for Long Island and the Hudson Valley, each backed by $350 million.

Mattheissen said the increased local control will hopefully bring more suburban legislators on board. “We didn’t make those changes in a vacuum. We heard from elected officials in the suburbs that they liked the bill but these changes would make it easier for them to give their support.”

Matthiessen expects more legislators from the 12 counties served by the MTA to sign on as co-sponsors in the coming week. In the meantime, he is focused on finding a sponsor in the State Senate.

Ultimately, any campaign for toll reform has to convince Governor Cuomo to sign on. Cuomo has previously said he doesn't believe the plan is politically viable, but every new sponsor is a chink in that argument.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

No Accident: Red Hook Pool Closure Saga Stems from Adams Administration ‘Underinvestment’

An Olympic-size pool in Red Hook has sat empty since the summer’s start, leaving residents in the area out to dry and pissed off in blistering, record high heat.

July 25, 2025

The Perfect Beast: Even Google’s AI Thinks Streets Are for Cars

Artificial intelligence is completely naturally addicted to promoting cars.

July 25, 2025

Friday Video: Krakow is a Polish Pedestrian Paradise

Check out how car drivers simply stop for pedestrians — and not just pedestrians in a crosswalk, but also pedestrians about to enter a crosswalk or even just thinking about maybe entering a crosswalk.

July 25, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Putting the ‘Con’ in ConEd Edition

Con Edison has blocked the Vernon Boulevard bike lane for more than a week now. Plus other news.

July 25, 2025

Fixing Canal Street Means Rethinking the Manhattan Bridge Itself: Experts

Canal Street needs a fix, but the city must go straight to the source.

July 24, 2025

Lower East Side Panel Joins Growing Chorus Against Tisch’s E-Bike Criminalization

Another New York neighborhood is calling for an end to the “disproportionate consequences” that e-bike users face under the NYPD’s sweeping crackdown.

July 24, 2025
See all posts