Gov. Kathy Hochul taking a victory ride of sorts since U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted to X Thursday extending the date to shut off the congestion pricing tolls by 30 days.

“I think that’s good,” Hochul sais. “But I also know we have a very strong case for court we really do. I feel confident we’ll be able to continue it.”

What You Need To Know

  • U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy originally set Friday as the day for the MTA to turn the congestion pricing tolls, but in a social media post Thursday, extended it 30 days

  • Riding a bus to celebrate the extension and the success of congestion pricing, Gov. Kathy Hochul says it shows the feds don’t have much of a case 

  • According to the MTA traffic in February was down 11% in the central business district, yet restaurant reservations, Broadway attendance and retail sales are all up over last year

The governor took the M14 to show congestion pricing is working. And according to the MTA, traffic is down 11% in the central business district, and moving 30% faster on bridges and tunnels in February compared to last year; Broadway show attendance was up 19% through February compared to the same time last year. Restaurant reservations in the CBD rose 5% from January to mid-March compared to the same time last year. Retail sales in the CBD are on track to be $900 million higher in 2025 compared to last year.

The governor celebrating with transit advocates and elected officials in the meatpacking district. 

“The cameras are staying on,” she said.

Many noting it’s winning over naysayers.

“The constituents in the zone who were opposed to congestion pricing are largely in support,” State Senator Brad Holyman-Sigal said, who represents the west side of Manhattan. “And those outside the zone are asking, ‘Can we have congestion pricing too?’”

But not everyone agrees business is up.

“We went to restaurants month after month since the implementation of congestion pricing and their revenue has been down month to month since January,” Susan Lee, president of the group New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax, said. “So the data don’t lie small businesses are suffering, especially in lower Manhattan.”

She says she’d like to see the governor work with the administration to get more federal funding. Instead, they’ve been threatening to pull it, including in a letter earlier this week demanding subway crime statistics. 

But Gov. Hochul seems unbothered by the threats from Duffy and says she only learned about the extension from his post on X. And she says she’s not even dealing with the secretary — that she has a direct line to his boss.

“We’re working with the Trump administration on this. They understand this is really important for the city,” Hochul said. “I’ve had very good conversations with the president and I’m going to continue doing that.”