New Yorkers rallied at the Atlantic Ave-Barclays Center stop Sunday, referring to it as a key transit hub. They condemned Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to put an indefinite pause on congestion pricing.

Youth climate activists demanded the governor reverse her decision, with some of the chants including, “Congestion pricing now!”

“The climate crisis is here and now, and air quality is getting worse and worse. We need a city we can breathe in,” Keanu Arpels-Josiah, policy co-lead at Fridays For Future NYC, said.

The 18-year-old is concerned about the high temperatures the city is facing, among other flooding and storms the city has experienced in recent years. Supporters of congestion pricing say the program would reduce air pollution contributing to climate change.

The New York State Department of Environmental Protection issued an air quality alert for New York City Sunday.

“Across the board, Governor Hochul is failing our generation so we are here to demand she reverse her horrible decision on congestion pricing,” Arpels-Josiah said.

He and other organizers planned the rally ahead of MTA board meetings coming up that will cover topics including service reliability and station accessibility.

Molly Galvin rallied with her daughter and described raising her kids in the city, including the problems she faces on mass transit.

“I’ve been using public transit since ever she was born including when she was in a stroller and that is when I learned how deficient the elevators are in the system,” Galvin said.

Gov. Hochul stood behind her decision in a recent interview on MSNBC.

“That was our decision to put a pause on it. This does not mean it’s over. We’ll find funding sources for all the projects that are important to be funded by this,” Hochul said.

There have also been rallies from opponents of congestion pricing across the city.

A recent Siena Poll showed nearly half of New York State voters approved of the governor’s decision to pause the program, but only 38% have a favorable view of the governor herself.

“Fixing the subway is one of the most urgent policy issues in New York. Congestion pricing is the keystone to fund the MTA,” Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director for the Riders Alliance, said.

Those at the rally said congestion pricing is necessary to modernize the city’s mass transit system. They say the MTA needs the money to improve elevators and accessibility, install new signals and fund expansions, among other things. Congestion pricing would also cut back on city traffic, pollution and emergency service response times, the Riders Alliance says.

The group states that only 2% of New Yorkers drive to work and that those New Yorkers can afford to pay the $15 toll that was set for cars heading into the congestion zone.

“Making the people who drive the cars responsible for what they are doing to the streets,” Karen Purdick, a supporter of congestion pricing, said.

Rally organizers said they specifically chose to hold the event at Broadway Junction because of all the upgrades it needs, including elevators instead of steep stairs since it is a transfer point for five different lines.

“You have riders that are connecting to the A train. They need to get to the airport, the Rockaways, JFK. They have luggage and it is really important for them to get on at this station and there is nothing that takes you from this ground level down to that platform but stairs,” Danna Dennis, senior organizer at Riders Alliance, said.

On Staten Island, a rally was held against congestion pricing. Those in attendance criticized the governor for installing the infrastructure and then announcing the pause.

“They still have the overhead scanners throughout Manhattan. They wasted a half a billion dollars on them,” Republican Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said.

There is no proposed date on when the temporary pause will end, causing tension on both sides.