The big news on Wednesday was Attorney General Letitia James's announcement that she won't defend Gov. Hochul in lawsuits seeking to force her to carry out state law and re-start congestion pricing.
James didn't talk to NY1 about her announcement, but the news channel surmised that there's a logical reason: James is already defending Hochul and the MTA in lawsuits seeking to end congestion pricing, so she can't now turn around and also defend the gridlock governor against suits seeking to overturn her unilateral decision to suspend it.
Want to know more? Ask a lawyer. Or Jerry Nadler:
I applaud @NewYorkStateAG’s decision to not defend @GovKathyHochul’s “indefinite pause” of congestion pricing in court.
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) August 7, 2024
Our Attorney General has a responsibility to uphold NYS Law, which is clear: congestion pricing must be implemented as required by the Legislature. https://t.co/PCIZWQ51fu
Meanwhile, the amNY editorial board also won't defend Hochul, declaring that there simply is no alternative to congestion pricing. The editorial was pretty damn eloquent:
Congestion pricing remains the most viable funding path for the MTA to finally bring the city’s transit system into the 21st century. It is a secure revenue stream that neither Albany nor City Hall can touch.
Yes, New York City drivers will have to pay for the privilege of driving into Manhattan, and New Yorkers will not see an immediate improvement in public transit. But it pays forward a better, stronger New York that can compete with the rest of the world.
And every day Hochul keeps congestion pricing on ice, seeking a viable alternative that doesn’t exist, is another day keeping New York stuck in the past.
We couldn't have said it better ourselves — though, of course, we have. And we also have a handy ticker about all we've lost:
In other news:
- Crain's got a second day story out of the poll showing low support for congestion pricing. which we covered yesterday in our story about Hochul's disastrous abandonment of the policy.
- In the swim? I've been covering talk of a plus-sign-shaped floating pool in the East River for like 15 years, so count me as suspicious that it will finally open next summer. In the meantime, find me at the Double D or Red Hook, which are, frankly, better anyway. Gothamist shared my skepticism while the Post and amNY played the hype. The City was somewhere in the middle.
- The Post had video of the aftermath of a crash involving a heartless hit-and-run moped rider and a Manhattan woman.
- The longer your subway commute, the more contact you have with "toxic" subway air, Gothamist reports.
- The Post got a second day out of the "Greenest Block in Brooklyn" contest.
- Amtrak tunnels under the East River are dilapidated, too, and the coming repairs could cause delays in service on the LIRR. (Gothamist)
- In advance of today's Department of Sanitation trash bin rules hearing, Crain's wrote about the incoming Spanish garbage containers.
- And, finally, two good jobs at Open Plans lead the Streetsblog job listings page.
