NYC elected officials from both sides of the aisle ban together, calling out congestion pricing

By Kayla Simas

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Staten Island elected officials on both sides of the aisle are taking action against congestion pricing and the negative effects they foresee will impact the borough.

The program will negatively affect the wallets, quality of life, and health of borough residents, the group of elected officials said Friday in social media posts and a press release sent to the media.

Under the proposed congestion pricing plan, motorists and truckers will be charged fees for traveling on streets and roadways south of 60th Street, with a few potential exceptions. Drivers could pay as much as $23 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street during peak hours. Proponents say the plan will reduce traffic and pollution.

The elected officials’ announcement was accompanied by a graphic outlining the negative impacts of congestion pricing. It reads vertically that Staten Islanders will be “S.C.R.E.W.E.D” by the plan.

Elected officials who have banded together in opposition to the congestion pricing plan are: Borough President Vito Fossella, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn), State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island), State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn), Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo (R-Mid Island), Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R-East Shore/South Brooklyn), Assemblyman Mike Reilly (R-South Shore), Assemblyman Charles Fall (D-North Shore/Lower Manhattan), Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore), Councilman David Carr (R-Mid Island), and Councilwoman Kamilla Hanks (D-North Shore).

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