Three More Meetings Set for Early December

Ten General Interest Meetings and Six Environmental Justice Meetings Held So Far

Public Invited to Listen/Watch or to Sign Up to Comment at Meetings

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), New York State Department of Transportation (NYS DOT) and New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) today announced the dates for the next round of public meetings about the potential effects of the Central Business District Tolling Program (CBDTP). The meetings will take place on Dec. 7, 8 and 9 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. and focus specifically on communities composed of minority or low-income populations – known as Environmental Justice communities. To date, 16 public meetings have been held on the proposed congestion pricing program, formally known as Central Business District Tolling. The December sessions will provide additional information and results from early analysis on areas of interest to Environmental Justice Communities.  

The three virtual meetings will be focused on environmental justice communities located in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, respectively, though anyone may participate in or sign up to attend any or all of the meetings:

• Tuesday, Dec. 7, 6-8 p.m.: New York
• Wednesday, Dec. 8, 6-8 p.m.: New Jersey
• Thursday, Dec. 9, 6-8 p.m.: Connecticut

Signing Up to Speak or Requesting Language Services Can Be Done Online or By Phone
 
Those who wish to sign up to speak at any of the meetings can do so by visiting the Central Business District Tolling Program’s web portal at new.mta.info/project/CBDTP or by calling (646) 252-6777. Participants who decide during the webinar that they would like to speak will be given an opportunity to do so.

Members of the public can also call (646) 252-6777 to hear a brief description of the project, to sign up to speak at the public meetings, or request language services at least five days in advance of each meeting.
 
The feedback gathered in the public meetings will inform the Environmental Assessment required by the United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that will be published for public review. Following the release of the Environmental Assessment, there will be additional public meetings allowing for citizens to comment specifically on the released document.
 
The Central Business District Tolling Program was authorized by the State of New York in April 2019 and modeled on urban congestion pricing programs around the world to reduce traffic congestion and raise needed revenue to improve public transportation. Other cities across the world that have similar programs have also experienced improved air quality. If approved by FHWA, the CBDTP would be the first such program in the United States.

To date, the ten regional public meetings and six Environmental Justice public meetings had a total of 996 people sign up to participate. There have been approximately 10,000 views of our public meetings and presentations on YouTube. As of Nov. 12, the project has received over 6,000 comments.