Representative Adriano Espaillat Urges MTA to Protect Livery Drivers and Vulnerable Communities.
Espaillat Touts Benefits of Congestion Pricing in Letter Urging Consideration of Broad Environmental Impacts and Charge Exemptions for Livery Drivers.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) recently sent a letter to Janno Lieber, Chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) urging the state public-benefit corporation to consider the environmental implications of high vehicle congestion and the economic welfare of livery drivers when finalizing their recent New York City Central Business District Tolling Program.
“Neighborhoods near the Cross Bronx Expressway, RFK Bridge, and I-95 have been disproportionately affected by greenhouse gas surges, despite these communities historically contributing the least to overall greenhouse gas emissions,” said Rep. Espaillat.
“Whereas the comment period recently ended for community input, we must consider the calls of an essential working-class immigrant industry or the communities they serve. Nearly 70% of the trips livery-based drivers make are outside of the project’s area, and the request for them to be exempt or be charged just once per day will have minimal impact on the overall project revenue goals.
The Congressman, who has historically supported congestion pricing, notes that the projects revenue will supercharge the first wave of major expansions to New York’s transit system in over half a century— including the nations largest transit equity Second Avenue Subway Phase II extension.
“New York City requires a holistic approach to environmental and economic justice, and the MTA’s consideration of these issues would improve hundreds of thousands of lives throughout the Bronx by reducing air pollution and increasing the overall transit accessibility for many throughout our communities,” Espaillat concluded.
Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment