Federal judge denies requests by Rockland and Orange county officials that seek to stop congestion pricing
The Honorable Cathy Seibel denied a preliminary injunction request by Rockland and Orange county officials that aimed to stop congestion pricing.
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On Monday, The Honorable Cathy Seibel denied a preliminary injunction request by Rockland and Orange county officials that would have stopped congestion pricing.
The decision from inside a federal court room in White Plains comes weeks before the central business district tolling plan begins in midtown Manhattan in early January.
The money will benefit the MTA.
The judge took over an hour to explain her choice being very thorough and citing numerous other court decisions.
In closing, Judge Seibel recognized "it will be more costly to some people," going on to say "something unfair or unwise is not the same as unconstitutional," and "there are pros and cons to living" in those counties.
"I don't think this case fits into the current precedent,” said Rockland County Attorney Thomas Humbach. “This is not a toll like a bridge or a tunnel or even a toll road, where you go there, you use a piece of it, and then you pay for the use of the piece of that road."
John J. McCarthy, MTA chief of Policy and External Relations reacted to the latest decisions saying they are gratified and "the cases have highlighted how extensively the Central Business District Tolling Program was studied, as well as the enormous benefits it’s expected to provide both to drivers and mass transit users"
