New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) held a press briefing on Friday to discuss the congestion pricing in New York City.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Thank you, Governor! Thank you, Governor! Thank you, Governor!
00:07Wow. What a morning this is. We just took the M14 over, and guess what? It was fast.
00:22And we don't need to wonder why. The world has changed dramatically for this city and this region
00:28ever since congestion pricing went into effect in early January.
00:32Now, to all the naysayers, hopefully you now are seeing that those who studied this and thought about it
00:39and worked on this for years, if not decades, had a vision that is now being realized,
00:44that we can have a city that is not paralyzed by traffic and congestion,
00:49that our air is cleaner, that our businesses are more robust,
00:53more people are going to Broadway, our buses and subways are going faster and more supported
00:59by more people are taking them than ever before.
01:02And guess what? And guess what? Not only is traffic down and businesses up, can I hear that again?
01:09Traffic is down and businesses up. Traffic is down and businesses up.
01:13Traffic is down and businesses up. Traffic is down and businesses up.
01:18Very nice, everyone. But also, also, subway ridership is up and crime is down.
01:28And we're very excited. Traffic is down. Yes, indeed.
01:33So I want to say this. It's been a long journey. We're still on that journey.
01:41And the more people who get a chance to see the benefits, just walk around and talk to people,
01:46ask if their lives are more enriched, whether they have more time with their families if they're a commuter,
01:51whether or not they're finally realizing that we have the world-class public transit system,
01:55but we need to keep it world-class by raising the revenues to invest in it as well.
01:59That is essential.
02:03So, today's an important day. The cameras are staying on.
02:09The cameras are staying on. The cameras are staying on. The cameras are staying on.
02:23They sure as hell are.
02:26I want to recognize some leaders here who've done an extraordinary job in fighting for this.
02:32And again, this is not an easy journey.
02:35You know, countless lawsuits, people going on television constantly berating this, saying it wouldn't work.
02:41I want them to come here now and feel a very different New York City that is very alive and it's vital.
02:49It is not jammed and stuck in traffic. We are moving once again.
02:53And we're moving into a better future, a welcoming future, a place that people can live safely.
03:00We're going to build more housing. We're going to bring more businesses.
03:03It's going to be the best place in the world to live, and we're not done yet.
03:09More housing is right. Don't get me on that.
03:15But I want to recognize Senator Robert Jackson, Senator Kristen Gonzales,
03:20Senator Boyle Hoylman-Segal here, Senator Liz Kruger is here,
03:24Assemblymember Deborah Glick, Assemblymember Tony Simone, if I've forgotten any legislators from Albany.
03:29Okay, can we just negotiate the budget here and get it done?
03:33Okay, okay, okay.
03:39Also, Councilmember Eric Botsch here. Thank him for joining us as well.
03:44And also leaders like Cathy Wowl from the Partnership who did a lot of work.
03:47I want to thank them.
03:49I want to thank the business community. We continue to need their voices in Washington
03:54talking about how this is beyond what anyone could have expected in terms of the results.
04:00This also shows that government can work for the people.
04:04There's a lot of talk about a book called Abundance this week.
04:07We all need to read that because the way we deliver for the people,
04:11let them know we know how to lead, is by delivering results, and that's exactly what this is.
04:15We are delivering for the people.
04:18So let me turn this over to Q Arroyo, who is the Chief Accessibility Officer from the MTA,
04:25to talk about why this investment, why these investments in our capital plan are so important,
04:30but also what the quality of life is all about here in the city.
04:34Let me turn it over to Q. I'm hearing from a number of other speakers as well.
04:37Take it away, Q.
04:43Thank you. Love you guys.
04:45Thank you so much, Governor.
04:47And thank you all for being here with us today this morning.
04:49It is truly a pleasure to see so many people here.
04:51And the message here is very clear.
04:53Congestion pricing, congestion relief, is a local tool, a local solution to a local problem
04:59that we were facing here in New York.
05:01This is the ingenuity of New York.
05:03We had a problem of clogged roads, congested roads.
05:07We've seen in the last 10 weeks since the congestion relief has been active,
05:11as you said, traffic is up.
05:14Traffic is down. Traffic is down.
05:18As you said, traffic is down, business is up.
05:20We see more pedestrian activities in the Central Business District.
05:24Times Square has more pedestrian, safe pedestrian activities.
05:28This is working for everybody.
05:30But the money that we are recuperating from this is being directly reinvested into transit options.
05:36This is about transit, universal access to transit for everybody.
05:40You know who loves congestion pricing? Congestion relief? Drivers.
05:44I am now hearing that people from Long Island can get to a theater during the weekday
05:48because they can drive efficiently.
05:50This is about access to transportation to everybody.
05:53Motorists, and there are a lot of them, and we want them to continue.
05:56If that is their mode of transportation, they should be able to do it efficiently, effectively.
06:00The businesses are able to save money getting to their destinations a lot faster,
06:05making more deliveries per day.
06:07That is what this is about.
06:08But also the investment is so critical for all of our transit riders.
06:13Over four million subway riders daily.
06:16Two million.
06:17Two million bus riders daily.
06:19They deserve access to efficient transportation as well.
06:22Before congestion relief, our buses were moving at four miles an hour.
06:26Today, they're almost double that speed.
06:29That is working.
06:31Two million folks on buses deserve efficient transit options.
06:35And that's what this is delivering.
06:37But that money is being reinvested into the system to deliver a more accessible transit network,
06:43and we definitely need that.
06:44Thank you, Governor.
06:45And listen, I don't know what's happening with those folks down south,
06:48but I ride the subway daily, and I've never felt unsafe.
06:53I live in Harlem.
06:54I ride late at night.
06:55I'm getting home on the subway.
06:57I'm taking the subway early morning down to 2 Broadway, and I've never felt unsafe.
07:01The statistics are clear.
07:03Since the pandemic, crime is down.
07:06The subway safety is being felt everywhere.
07:09Now, the data doesn't correlate to people's feeling, and there is a sense of unsafety.
07:15And, Governor, I want to thank you for your support working with the mayor and the city of New York
07:20to bring more police presence because we've heard from riders that police presence makes them feel safer,
07:24and you've delivered that in the overnights and all 24 hours to make people feel safer because it is safe.
07:32So I don't know when the last time those folks down in Washington rode the subway,
07:35but I tell them, join me and feel safe in Harlem.
07:38Feel safe all throughout the city because that is what this MTA team is delivering,
07:42access to transit for everybody.
07:45Thank you all.
07:49Q mentioned subway safety.
07:52I follow statistics all day long.
07:55An interesting one.
07:57Subway crimes are 50% lower today than they were in 2001, a generation ago,
08:06when someone named Rudy Giuliani was the mayor.
08:09Just want to put that out there.
08:11With that, let me introduce Jeffrey LeFrancois, the executive director of the Meatpacking Business Improvement District,
08:19who will let us know the impact on his community.
08:22Jeffrey.
08:25Thank you, Governor.
08:26Good evening.
08:27My name is Jeffrey LeFrancois, executive director of the Meatpacking District,
08:29and it's my pleasure to welcome Governor Hochul, our friends in the legislature from around the borough
08:35and outside the borough of Manhattan,
08:38and a special shout-out to my other Business Improvement District colleagues from Union Square across town,
08:43Garment District in Midtown, and Hudson Square just below us.
08:46Welcome to Meatpacking, everybody.
08:48Right now, you're standing in what used to be the middle of the road.
08:52Today, it's a bustling public plaza in the heart of the Meatpacking District.
08:59We are a distinct commercial neighborhood with nearly 30,000 office workers
09:03surrounded by residential communities in the heart of Manhattan.
09:07We're boxed in by major streets and adjacent to the West Side Highway,
09:10and I can tell you that while people come here to enjoy our street life,
09:14they certainly don't do it to be marred in traffic.
09:18As a neighborhood, we prioritize the pedestrian experience, and it shows.
09:22We're home to a myriad array of innovative businesses, premier arts and culture destinations,
09:27excellent hospitality, and a sprawling network of plazas that occupy 40,000 square feet
09:32of public space across the district.
09:35And you can take four bus routes and four subway lines to get here
09:41just as easily as you can hail a yellow cab.
09:44And at the end of the day, and the Gov mentioned this, she references, we all do,
09:48New Yorkers just want to get around and do so quickly.
09:51We cannot walk anybody in the world.
09:54But at the end of the day, public transit is the lifeblood of New York City,
09:58and improving the system is good for business, it's good for the Meatpacking District,
10:03and it's certainly good for the region.
10:05The easier we make navigating all that makes this city special, the better.
10:09And easing traffic flow makes streets quieter and more efficient,
10:12and if there's one thing business loves, it's efficiency.
10:15Whether it's making sure that spring collection hits the racks on time,
10:18or delivering freshest produce to our kitchens,
10:21when the movement of people and goods are prioritized, we all succeed.
10:26Spring has sprung in Meatpacking, and we are excited to welcome you here
10:30in any way, shape, or form you choose to get here.
10:32Thank you again, Governor Hochul, and to all of you for being here today.
10:37Traffic is down, and business is up!
10:40Traffic is down, and business is up!
10:42Traffic is down, and business is up!
10:51Really great.
10:53Let's hear from Dana Dennis, the Senior Organizer of the Riders Alliance.
11:01There she is.
11:03Good to see you again.
11:05Okay.
11:06All right.
11:07My folks are here.
11:08Good.
11:09Good morning, everyone.
11:10Thank you, Governor Hochul, first of all, for inviting me to speak today.
11:15It really is an honor, as someone who's been fighting on this for years, to be here with
11:19all of our leaders alongside our fellow transit advocates.
11:23I see a lot of the Riders Alliance members here, so I'm going to shout them out, of course.
11:28Right?
11:29Subway and bus riders are essential to our city.
11:31And all of you who really are committed to improving our transit system across New York
11:35City.
11:36It really is the lifeblood of our city.
11:37And we say it all the time, but transit is at the intersection of so many of our issues.
11:41We already heard about housing, safety, getting to your medical appointments, anything really
11:46that you're accessing in this city, transit is important to that.
11:50So we gather here today to not only rally for congestion relief, but also to defend
11:54the progress that we've made.
11:56Can we just clap for that?
11:57Right?
11:58We have made progress.
12:01We have been in a fight for the last couple of months, years, some of us, for better public
12:05transit.
12:06And let's be clear, it's about more than just a toll.
12:09It's about the future of our public transportation, our communities, and the very air that we
12:14breathe.
12:15Right?
12:16That's what's at stake here.
12:17So with congestion relief, we have a sustainable funding source for our transit system.
12:22And this program really is a lifeline for investments for our buses, subways, and the
12:26infrastructure that supports them.
12:28Most of that infrastructure is outdated.
12:30Let's be real.
12:31So we're looking forward to the updates of that.
12:34And unfortunately, we are facing significant opposition to this program, right?
12:39We have folks who want to turn off the cameras, which as you heard the governor say, we're
12:42not turning them off.
12:43So thank God for that.
12:44On our tolling system, they want to roll back some of that progress that we've fought so
12:47hard to achieve.
12:49And I want to tell you all, and I hope that you remember this, we will not back down.
12:55We all know what's at stake here.
12:57We understand the powerful impact.
13:00And we understand that the funding is needed so that we can create a safer, faster, and
13:04more efficient transit system.
13:05It's about ensuring that our subways and our bus lines are not only reliable, but they're
13:10also accessible for everyone, especially those who need it the most.
13:15Elevators are for everyone.
13:18So while we champion congestion pricing today, let's also spotlight the pressing need for
13:23our transit systems that exist, right?
13:25So we still have many critical infrastructure needs.
13:28We have requirements that demand immediate attention.
13:31We need updated signals to ensure that we have timely service.
13:34We need more elevators, as I've already said.
13:36We need faster buses that respect the times of riders.
13:39We all have places to go.
13:41We have families that we want to get home to.
13:43We have a city to access.
13:44Let's respect the time of the commuters.
13:46And every day, I want to tell you, I hear from riders day in, day out that are facing
13:49challenges in our system.
13:51And they're not just statistics.
13:52These are real people.
13:53They have real stories behind their lives.
13:56Every time they swipe, there are mothers who are carrying strollers of endless swipes or
13:59steps.
14:00There are seniors who are struggling with heavy bags every day.
14:04Everyone in between, right, deserves a reliable system.
14:07And I'm just going to wrap it up by saying we also need to protect congestion relief,
14:13but we need to make sure that we get a reliable capital plan this year as well.
14:17So I'm just going to throw that in there.
14:19Yes, we need it to be fully funded.
14:21We need to make sure that we address that.
14:23And the voices of riders must echo in the halls of power.
14:26And I think that they are.
14:27I see a lot of leaders here today from Albany, and I know they're going to get it done.
14:31We are, again, so grateful to stand with the governor today.
14:33We want to make sure that the needs of riders are uplifted and championed.
14:38And so today, I want to just say thank you for standing with us, for everyone who's out
14:42here, for the support that you're doing, for fighting for a better transportation and future
14:46in New York City.
14:47Thank you, everyone.
14:49Congestion pricing works.
14:52Congestion pricing works!
14:54Congestion pricing works!
14:56Congestion pricing works!
14:58Congestion pricing works!
15:00Congestion pricing works!
15:02Hi, guys.
15:03Unos muchas palabras en español para nuestros televidentes en casa, estamos aquà con la
15:06gobernadora celebrando el desconcentramiento que estamos viendo en las calles de Nueva
15:12York.
15:13Las carreteras están fluyendo, los autobuses están moviendo, y esos que manejan están
15:17And they are driving more efficiently, reaching their destination much faster than before.
15:22And all that money that is being collected from the congestion rate is being invested
15:28in a better transport system for all those 4 million people who use the daily train,
15:35more than 2 million who use the buses.
15:37And we are hearing that those people who live in Staten Island, in Long Island, in New Jersey,
15:42are driving much faster than before.
15:45So this is good efficiency for all New Yorkers, for all visitors.
15:49Thanks to the Governor for her support of the public transport system,
15:53all the transport system in New York,
15:56and her collaboration with the City of New York, with the Mayor of New York and the police
16:01to maintain a safe transport system for everyone,
16:05that we can all feel safe using transit.
16:07Thanks, Governor.
16:10SÃ, es verdad, más rápido, sÃ.
16:14Más rápido.
16:16Thank you everyone.
16:18Thank you for joining us here today.
16:20And enjoy the effects of congestion pricing on lifting up this city,
16:26its people, its businesses, our visitors,
16:29in a way that we get around so more people can see and embrace
16:33the vitality of the greatest city on earth.
16:36Thank you everybody.