New York Focus reporter Sam Mellins reflects on what he learned this year, and teases what lies ahead for 2025.
New York has a little-noticed tool to shift billions of highway dollars to climate-friendly public transit projects. The governor doesn’t seem interested.
As the state’s plans to get New Yorkers out of their cars stall, Governor Hochul is championing a highway expansion in the Hudson Valley.
From New York City to Buffalo, people are driving a lot more than they did before the pandemic.
There are at least three ways a Trump administration could try to stop the transit-funding toll.
Hochul says she’s working with the legislature to replace congestion pricing, but key legislators say they aren’t aware of any conversations.
Before Kathy Hochul paused it, the tolling program lost the little labor support it had when the Transport Workers Union withdrew its backing this spring.
As the state has backpedaled on congestion pricing, it has made no progress on nearly half of its other transit-related climate goals.
Some of the state’s top Democrats slammed the governor, while others supported the pause or stayed mum. Republicans want congestion pricing killed altogether.
After the governor declined to answer questions, a New York Focus reporter was ejected from her event.
We asked 26 lawmakers who support the congestion pricing pause how they propose to fund transit upgrades. Most shrugged.
The constant gridlock is a major drag on Manhattan’s businesses, and source of frustration for commuters. And it’s never been so bad.
Since announcing her plan to put the program on ice, the governor has not appeared in public.
Lawsuits had threatened to kill congestion pricing. Now, it might take a lawsuit to save it.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law directed billions toward public transit in New York, but the state is choosing to spend billions more on highways.
They’re on their way, officials promise. But they’re years late.
The governor’s proposal for “transit-oriented development” has so far gotten a mixed reception from suburban legislators, who killed a similar plan last year.
Eric Adams pledged to cut police overtime in half. Instead, his initiatives helped it soar to the second-highest level on record.
Out of every dollar the gas tax suspension costs the state, less than 50 cents are going into New Yorkers’ pockets.
The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act turbocharges the market for electric cars at the expense of other forms of transit. A New York bill aims to help e-bikes catch up.