De Blasio repeats push for MTA to
speed up congestion pricing
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Mayor Bill de Blasio and a cadre
of local politicos again pushed
state transportation honchos on
Tuesday to put the pedal to the metal on
the proposal to toll drivers heading into
Manhattan below 61st Street in order to
fund upgrades for the city’s public transit
system.
“Congestion, unfortunately, is back
and it’s starting to come back with a vengeance,”
said de Blasio at his daily press
briefi ng on July 20. “But what’s happening
with congestion pricing, when you look at
the State of New York, when you look at
the MTA, you hear the sound of crickets
because nothing is happening.”
Hizzoner called on the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority to convene a
six-member panel known as the Traffi c
Mobility Review Board, which is required
to make recommendations for how the socalled
Central Business District Tolling will
work, including how high the charge is and
who gets exempt from it.
De Blasio on July 15 nominated his one
pick for the six-member board, Department
of Finance Commissioner Sherif Soliman,
saying at the time he wants MTA to have
the charge in effect by the end of 2022 with
all of the preparation work done by June
Mayor Bill de Blasio holds up a symbolic oversized check for congestion
pricing at his July 20 press briefing.
of that year and “shovels in the ground”
by July.
That followed an earlier comment he
made in response to a reporter’s question
on July 13 saying he wanted to see the fee
“as fast as humanly possible.”
On Tuesday, de Blasio renewed his call
by bringing in an oversize $15 billion
check, the prop symbolizing the amount
of new debt fi nancing congestion pricing
NYC MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY UNIT
is promised to generate for the MTA, in
addition to an annual $1 billion in toll
revenue.
“Imagine what $15 billion dollars could
do for your daily commute on the subway,”
the mayor said. “Any problem the MTA says
they have could be addressed with this. We
want to fi x the horrible fl ooding we saw last
week, if we want to make sure the signals
are fi xed so the trains actually can move, if
you want modern stations, here it is, staring
us in the face.”
The funds make up nearly 30% of the
MTA’s $51.5 billion 2020-2024 capital plan
and the tax would also encourage people to
switch from driving to taking public transit.
MTA chief fi nancial offi cer Robert Foran
said at last month’s agency board meeting
that the agency was fi ne without congestion
pricing dollars for now, as transit offi cials
are able to front the capital program with
other state tax revenues.
MTA’s senior advisor on congestion pricing
Ken Lovett reiterated that the agency
wants to have the program in effect “as
soon as possible,” but said that offi cials
are still hashing out issues with its federal,
state, and city partners.
“The MTA is following that detailed process
which doesn’t allow arbitrarily cutting
corners,” Lovett said in a statement. “An
Environmental Assessment is complicated
and we are working through issues with the
Federal Highway Administration and our
partners at the New York City and New
York State Departments of Transportation.
As we have said repeatedly, the Central
Business District Tolling Program will be
a huge environmental benefi t for the region
while also providing a major boost to mass
transit, and we’re working diligently to
implement it as soon as possible.”
New York Fashion Week to come to Fifth Avenue this year
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
New York Fashion Week is expanding
to a new home this year.
The Fifth Avenue Association
announced that for the fi rst time ever, Fifth
Avenue will be a host to the iconic New
York Fashion Week (NYFW), serving as
a vibrant location for fashion week events
and offering brands and designers a chance
to present their collections.
“We are thrilled to welcome New York
Fashion Week to Fifth Avenue as we
celebrate and support one of the largest
revenue-generating events for the fashion
industry – and what better place than on
Fifth Avenue, the heart of global fashion
and luxury shopping,” said Jerome Barth,
President, Fifth Avenue Association. “We
look forward to being home to emerging
designers and top talent this year and
beyond.”
The three-story venue, located at 608
Fifth Avenue, sits between East 48th and
49th Street and is across from Saks Fifth
Avenue and Rockefeller Center. The venue
will be transformed into a space with a runway
as well as presentation and activations
spaces for brands and designers. The space
will also be outfi tted with state-of-the-art
lighting, staging and sound to help bring
the designers’ visions to life.
“This September’s New York Fashion
Week promises to amplify the immense
creativity of the American fashion industry,”
said Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA.
“New York City is not only an evergreen
inspiration to our talented designers but
also the ideal setting for the week. CFDA
welcomes Fifth Avenue, with its storied history
of providing a home to so many iconic
fashion brands, to NYFW.”
New York Fashion Week on Fifth (#NYFWonFifth)
will be available for events on
Sept. 8-12 2021. Further details will be
announced at a later date. FILE PHTOO
Schneps Mediia July 22, 2021 3