Congestion pricing supporters in Jamaica hope for change
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
With nine days remaining
for legislators in Albany to
negotiate the final state budget
due April 1, transit riders and
advocates rallied in southeast
Jamaica on March 21 for
the adoption of congestion
pricing — a plan they say
will help repair the crippling
subway and transit system in
their neighborhood.
Members of Riders
Alliance, Transportation
Alternatives, Transport
Workers Union Local 100,
the Environmental Defense
Fund, and the Regional Plan
Association, addressed the
many benefits of congestion
pricing at the bustling
Jamaica Center Subway
Station by Parsons Boulevard
and Archer Avenue.
Advocates say that
congestion pricing will help
pay for transit upgrades,
improve local and express
bus services, and reduce
commuter rail and express
bus fares in southeast Queens
— often referred to as the
“transit desert.”
“Transportation deserts
like this one require proper
funding and that starts
with congestion pricing,”
said Natasha Saunders of
Riders Alliance, a grassroots
movement for public transit.
Under Governor Andrew
Cuomo’s congestion pricing
plan, a surcharge would be
placed on vehicles entering
central business districts in
Manhattan. The governor has
suggested an $11.52 surcharge
for cars, a $23.34 charge for
trucks, and a charge of $2 to
$5 per ride on for-hire vehicles
entering congestion zones.
It could generate between
$810 million and $1.1 billion
annually, which could then be
used to fund critical repairs to
the New York City subway.
Saunders, who lives in St.
Albans and owns a business
in Manhattan, relies heavily
on public transportation,
which she says, has become so
unpredictable having to spend
extra cash daily taking an
Uber or the LIRR to reach her
clients in time.
“As a business owner, that
affects my bottom line and
profits I use to take care of my
family,” said Saunders.
Riders, advocates, and organized labor held a rally outside of the
Jamaica Center Station for passage of congestion pricing.
Fed-up after years of slow,
unreliable commutes, other
Riders Alliance commuters
testified about their daily
challenges dealing with
the subways and buses in
the community.
Samuel Santaella, 25, of St.
Albans, who takes the J train
and two buses to Brooklyn
every day, said he spends
Photo by Carlotta Mohamed
about 20 minutes or more
waiting for his second bus to
arrive.
Jeanne Majors, 70, who lives
at the Greater Allen Cathedral
Senior Residence on Merrick
Boulevard, stressed the need
for an upgraded subway
signal system and removal of
diesel buses.
“Those signal systems
have been in existence since I
went to high school which was
1967,” said Majors. “They have
not made any changes to do
anything. It’s just overlooked
because it’s not a priority.
Living here at the community
senior center, we have a lot of
people who are disabled and
cannot get on those buses…
the old diesel buses suck.”
According to Ya-Ting Liu,
of The Environmental Defense
Fund, congestion pricing will
not only help alleviate traffic
but also eliminate pollution
of carbon emissions in
New York State.
“If we want to make a dent
and get to a clean energy
future and combat climate
change, the only way to do that
is to invest in public transit
and make sure that we green
our buses,” said Liu.
Members of Riders
Alliance say they have
spoken to southeast Queen’s
district representatives
— Senators Leroy Comrie
and James Sanders Jr., and
Assemblymembers Alicia
Hyndman and Clyde Vanel
about the issue.
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