💲Congestion pricing went into effect Jan. 5

💲President Trump has expressed his opposition to the plan

💲The MTA's CEO thinks Trump is really a supporter


Gov. Phil Murphy has penned a letter to President Donald Trump reminding him of his stated opposition to congestion pricing in lower Manhattan.

New York pushed to get congestion pricing up and running during the final days of the Biden administration in order to make it harder for Donald Trump to cancel the program once he took office. The program started Jan. 5 after court challenges by New Jersey and unions failed.

Murphy told Trump that one thing they have in common is their opposition to congestion pricing, which is officially called the Central Business District Tolling Program by the MTA.

“The current congestion pricing scheme is a disaster for working and middle-class New Jersey commuters and residents who need or want to visit lower Manhattan and now need to pay a big fee on top of the bridge and tunnel tolls they already pay,” Murphy's letter says. “And, adding insult to injury, New Jersey communities are not being fully compensated for the additional traffic and attendant pollution that will be re-routed to them because of congestion pricing.”

ALSO READ: NJ gas prices jump dramatically in just a week

Congestion Relief Zone visual
Canva/MTA website
loading...

Reminding Trump of his statements

The Democrat, who canceled plans to attend Trump's inauguration in order to deal with the cleanup from Sunday's snowstorm in New Jersey, asked for the new administration to take a closer look at the program. He also reminded Trump of his previous comments about congestion pricing.

"During your campaign you called congestion pricing 'a disaster for NYC' and 'a massive business killer and tax on New York and anyone going into Manhattan" that had been 'railroaded..through' by federal officials. So you promised to 'TERMINATE congestion pricing in my FIRST WEEK back in office!!' After your election you were quoted calling New York's latest tolling plan 'the worst plan in the history of womankind.'

On Sunday, MTA CEO Janno Lieber repeated his belief that Trump is a supporter of congestion pricing.

"I'll say it again and again, Donald Trump is a New Yorker. He understands that 90% of people going to his office buildings are taking transit, and that there's bad traffic in front of Trump Tower. I bet he gets it. I don't know what's gonna happen," Lieber said.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom

NJ towns that flipped for Trump in 2024

In the 2024 presidential election in New Jersey, Donald Trump won 61 municipalities he had lost to Joe Biden four years earlier. Those flipped municipalities are listed below by county and show the percentage point difference between Trump and Harris and between Biden and Trump.

Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5

FBI's Top 5 Most Wanted violent fugitives in NJ

The FBI currently lists more than two dozen fugitives with ties to New Jersey on their ‘most wanted list.’ These are the five most violent and dangerous suspects.

Gallery Credit: Eric Scott

The 15 best places to live in New Jersey

Listed in descending order, here are the 15 places in New Jersey that Niche graded the highest.

Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM