Some top politicians in the Big Apple supported the controversial $9 congestion fee, but they won't have to pay it as they are being transported in NYPD cars, The Post has learned.
Mayor Eric Adams, Comptroller Brad Lander and Public Defender Jumaane Williams are among an elite crew with security details able to pass free in and out of the congestion zone in midtown Manhattan on South 60th Street.
“I find it hypocritical that elected city officials get permission to pay a congestion pricing tax because they are under the NYPD's detail,” said Suzanne Lee, a leader with New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax.
“However, uniformed officers who work hard in the congestion pricing zone have to pay $9 to go to work,” Lee added. “How convenient it is for them to support a congestion pricing tax when they don't have to bear the cost like ordinary New Yorkers.
The Citywide Administrative Services Department, which oversees the government vehicle fleet, cited the Public Transit Authority's “Emergency Vehicle Exemption Plan.”
“Consistent with MTA rules, all law enforcement vehicles — including those working as part of security details — will receive exemptions under the recently implemented congestion pricing program,” DCAS said in a statement.
Emergency vehicles include ambulances as well as police, fire, military, and emergency medical vehicles.
The $9 toll brokered by Gov. Kathy Hochul took effect Jan. 5 after Adams' appointees to the MTA board voted enthusiastically in favor of the plan in an effort to pump needed money into the struggling transit agency's capital program.
Both Lander, who is running for mayor, and Williams criticized Hochul when she postponed the death toll in June, only to revive it days after the 2024 election.
Lander even supported the lawsuit against Hochul, claiming she violated the law. When the tally was finally over, he celebrated.
“This is a long-awaited win for the millions of hard-working workers who ride the subway every day,” Lander said after Hochul lifted her moratorium on congestion pricing. “New Yorkers will finally see less traffic, cleaner air, modern subway signals so trains run on time, and new elevators so everyone can use them.
Follow along with The Post's coverage of new congestion pricing in Manhattan
“We have filed lawsuits to ensure congestion pricing goes into effect as required by law — and it couldn't come at a more urgent time. If we don't get the system up and running before Donald Trump becomes president, we will miss out on $15 billion in critical transportation investments that we won't see coming.” Never again.
Williams also criticized the moratorium, claiming it would “cause irreparable harm to the city.”
The double standards were too much for opponents to bear.
“This is just another kick in the head for taxpayers. It makes matters worse,” said Queens Councilman Robert Holden. “They should not be exempt from congestion pricing. They should not have drivers. “This is disgusting.”
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-CA/Brooklyn) called the exemption “revolutionary.”
“If so [congestion pricing] So great, why don't they lead by example and personally pay the price they put pressure on working families?
“Better yet, leave the car and take the train.”
Rep. Mike Lawler said exempting top New York City politicians is “rules for you, but not for me.”
“Every one of these people who think congestion pricing is a good thing should go through it personally and pay the price,” said Lawler, a Republican who represents the lower Hudson Valley and is eyeing a run for governor.
A City Hall spokesperson said the MTA provides all law enforcement vehicle exemptions when asked about Adams' position on the issue.
MTA spokesman Tim Minton previously told The Post that despite the exemptions, the governor is expected to use personal funds to send “$9 to the MTA to pay tolls for every day she spends in New York City.”
Additional reporting from Golden Vaughn
