Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny (R,C-Coney Island) recently commented on the MTA’s decision Wednesday to move forward with its controversial plan to charge drivers to enter Manhattan below 61st Street. Under this proposal, cars will be subject to a $15 toll while truck drivers will face even higher rates, up to $36 for larger vehicles. This policy will go into effect this summer following a 60-day public information campaign and a 30-day testing period. Proponents of congestion pricing have argued this initiative will incentivize people to use more environmentally conscious methods of commuting such as public transportation and decrease their carbon footprint. These new tolls will hit commuters from other boroughs the hardest and increase travel costs for Brooklyn residents working in Manhattan. Brook-Krasny believes these increased tolls punish everyday working families for the city’s inability to properly address road maintenance and public transportation needs.

“Congestion pricing is another slap in the face to hard-working New Yorkers who are just trying to provide for their families,” said Brook-Krasny. “There’s no reason why a single mother in Southern Brooklyn who is struggling to provide for her kids should be forced to pay upward of $15 a day just to drive to work. New York is already one of the most expensive cities to live in thanks to Majority lawmakers’ policies. Certainly, we can find a different way to cover the cost of updating our public transportation and fixing the roads. We should be rewarding working families, not punishing them for their government’s failures.”