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The top of a enterprise group representing the Broadway Theater District and Occasions Sq. gave a scathing evaluation to the state’s plan to impose a $15 “congestion” toll to enter the Midtown enterprise district, claiming it’ll hinder the expansion of the Large Apple’s vacationer mecca.
“That is simply one other obstacle for individuals to come back into town — particularly the bridge and tunnel people who find themselves so vital to the Broadway theaters,” Cristyne Nicholas, chairwoman of the Broadway Affiliation, stated Sunday on 77 WABC Radio’s The Cats Roundtable.
“Remember, they make up about 30 p.c of the Broadway audiences and so they have been the slowest to come back again,” she instructed host John Catsimatidis.
Nicholas stated town has not totally recovered economically but from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This isn’t the identical metropolis it was 5 years in the past. The town then was booming. The town was doing nice. It was pre-COVID. Broadway was doing effectively,” she stated.
Nicholas stated distant work coupled with issues about crime are making vacationers from the New York suburbs and New Jersey “nervous” about coming into Manhattan.
“Then on prime of it you’ve got this,” Nicholas stated. “Broadway is doing effectively however it might be doing higher and I don’t assume congestion pricing goes to assist it.”
The Broadway Affiliation represents the theater district and the Enterprise Enchancment Districts for Occasions Sq. and Midtown.
“The financial system is shaky. There’s received to be a distinct approach of doing this,” she stated.
Nicholas stated the $15 toll is extra about elevating almost $1 billion a 12 months to finance mass transit somewhat than a “congestion mitigation situation” to discourage autos from coming into the Manhattan enterprise district throughout peak hours.
She advised all of the bridges ought to be tolled at a decrease however uniform charge to discourage toll avoidance and diverting visitors to different components of town. A few of the East River crossings are at present toll-free.
Underneath the congestion pricing plan, passenger automotive drivers coming into Manhattan south of sixtieth Avenue throughout daytime hours can be charged $15.50 and $3.75 off-peak.
The charge for small vans can be $24 whereas massive vans can be charged $36 throughout daytime hours. At night time, these tolls can be discounted to $6 and $9, respectively, to maneuver traffic-jamming deliveries out of commuting hours.
Catsimatidis, who owns Gristedes grocery shops, stated the excessive tolls on vans will merely be handed alongside to prospects by way of larger meals costs.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Democratic-led state Senate and Meeting accepted the congestion pricing legislation in 2019, organising the Visitors Mobility Evaluate Board, which final week really useful the $15 peak-hour toll hike.
His successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul has thrown her political muscle behind the hassle, attending a pro-congestion pricing rally final week.
However Democratic Mayor Eric Adams is requesting some exemptions from the $15 toll for individuals driving into Manhattan for requirements akin to medical appointments.
Some Democrats in New Jersey, together with Backyard State Gov. Phil Murphy, have vocally opposed the implementation of congestion pricing. Some suburban and Upstate Democrats are additionally coming out towards the toll.
Republicans in New York have stated they intend to make use of the difficulty towards Democratic opponents within the 2024 elections.
The tolling program is backed by mass transit and environmental advocates and a few enterprise teams, together with the Actual Property Board of New York.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is able to implement the congestion pricing program as early as subsequent spring, defended the $15 toll to drive into Midtown.
“The overwhelming majority of theatergoers use mass transit, identical to followers attending sports activities occasions and live shows, which helped Broadway reveals make what the Broadway League referred to as a ‘robust rebound’ this season,” stated MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan.
“The truth is that anybody paying a whole bunch of {dollars} for tickets, meals, and Midtown parking is unlikely to be dissuaded by a $15 congestion cost,” he stated.
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