Help Stop the Congestion Pricing Tax!

Help Stop the Congestion Pricing Tax!

We represent Families for BPC which stands for a "Better Plan for Congestion." We are a group of Lower Manhattan families who want a "Better Plan for Congestion." Today, we're reaching out for your support because we believe everyone's safety is at stake with the Central Business District Tolling Program also known as the Congestion Tax.

So much so - we are suing the Federal Government and the MTA.

(See Case #23CV10365

CHAN, HOFFMAN v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION et al.)

We need support and help associated with fighting the Congestion tax.

Neighborhoods in “the zone” are where residents, families and children thrive, not just businesses as the MTA would like you to believe by calling it the “Central Business District”. Students come from all five boroughs to the public and private schools below 60th Street, where the zone begins. There are communities, recreational parks and playgrounds that will be affected. Why? Because the congestion plan doesn't really eliminate congestion - it pushes it out and to the edges of the Congestion District. It sends direct harm into communities who don’t have a way to stop a plan of this magnitude. All work to this point has been done by volunteers, but as our case gets closer, we will need financial help for things related to the lawsuit. Even more importantly, we need your support! If you may be interested in being a plaintiff in this case, or if you are interested in helping in other ways, please reach out!

www.familiesforbpc.com

We've taken a bold step by suing the Federal Government.

Why? Because it was the only way to be heard. We tried to speak with elected officials and Community Boards and the City Council and we were ignored. Despite the pushback, we deserve transparency and accountability on the health and safety impact of the Congestion plan. The lawsuit was the only way. The Congestion Tolling Program doesn't just affect our streets; it impacts our lives. It impacts the health and safety of children and families across New York City.

Our discoveries are eye-opening. Over the summer, a group of volunteers worked together to go through the MTA's Finding of No Significant Impact and what we found was exactly the opposite.

The plan's analysis is outdated. We've uncovered alarming gaps and blatantly admitted problems in the analysis – from increased asthma rates to delayed emergency response times. This plan will set a precedent for cities everywhere. Our constitutional rights as citizens are on the line. We wanted to be heard - but were never considered before they announced the Congestion tax.

Help us stand up for our neighborhoods, for New York, for every voice that deserves to be heard. Support our legal fund, ensuring that safety isn't compromised.

Let's build a future where citizens' concerns matter, where environmental justice prevails. Join us in making a difference today.

Here’s some of what we found:

• Analysis and impact of the Congestion Tolling Program is incomplete and based on outdated 2016 data, and Pre-Covid data.

•There is no mention of the explicit impact, financial and environmental burden to areas directly along the exempted thoroughfares or streets that will not be subject to congestion tolls. Including all residential areas alongside West Street 9A and the FDR.

• Battery Park City and neighborhoods with explicit geographical adjacency were completely left out of meaningful analysis as pertains to its proximity to West Street/Route 9A.

• Residents and schools that are alongside the “exempted thoroughfares” were not included in the document or acknowledged despite direct proximity to West Street/Route 9A. This includes but is not limited to PS 89, PS 276, PS 150, Leman Manhattan, The Learning Experience not to mention many others in the LES.

• MTA estimates that within 10 years congestion will increase in the Central Business District and provide additional revenue. If the purpose of the plan is to decrease congestion - why does the MTA admit it will create more?

• MTA stipulates that children and families that live and work near congested thoroughfares will see an increase in Asthma rates and other respiratory illnesses. So much so, the MTA allocated $20 million in Asthma remediation for Bronx residents. Because Battery Park City was omitted and other Lower Manhattan neighborhoods were not fully analyzed – we have grave concerns over this admitted outcome of the plan.

• MTA stipulates that residents that live near congested thoroughfares will also see an increase in pedestrian safety issues.

• For those residents who live near congested thoroughfares, the emergency response times for ambulances and fire trucks will be increased significantly.

We are entitled to remediation through the National Enviromental Protection Act (NEPA).

We argue that the MTA and Federal Government have infringed on our right to due process through the NEPA Act which is why we are looking to ensure that our constitutional rights to Health and Safety are met. Bypassing the mechanisms in place for New Yorkers will become the precedent for any other city. Pushing through a plan such as this one without hearing the concerns of citizens and affording them their constitutional rights is a gross violation of the Environmental Protection Act and NEPA process.

Please help support our legal fund to ensure that all New Yorkers stay safe.

If you are interested in reviewing our case, please find it here:

Case #23CV10365

CHAN, HOFFMAN & DOES 1 through 200,

Plaintiffs,

v.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION et al.