GOP Candidate Warns Congestion Pricing Could Expand if Hochul Wins

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has warned New Yorkers that congestion pricing, if allowed to persist under Gov. Kathy Hochul, could be expanded to other communities across the state. Blakeman, the Republican candidate challenging Hochul for governor, stated Tuesday that he believes the current administration might implement further taxes if Hochul secures another term.

"Doesn’t matter whether it’s New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Binghamton or any town in between," Blakeman said. "If you live in Brooklyn, Flatbush Avenue. If you live in Queens, Queens Boulevard, Northern Boulevard. If you live in the Bronx, Tremont Avenue. Staten Island, the Staten Island Expressway — congestion pricing will come to you if Kathy Hochul is reelected," he told The Post. "I will stop that as governor."

Blakeman characterized congestion pricing as a "tax on the middle class" and a method for raising revenue due to what he described as mismanagement of large organizations. He pointed to a September Citizens Budget Commission report indicating New Yorkers bear the highest tax burden per person in the U.S., suggesting the state has a spending problem rather than a revenue shortfall.

Speaking near a congestion toll camera on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, Blakeman observed that traffic appeared unreduced, contradicting the program's stated goals. "You can look here. I don’t think it’s reduced traffic at all," he stated. "I think that what you’re seeing here is traffic congestion."

Blakeman has made opposing congestion pricing a central theme of his campaign, criticizing Hochul for the state's economic challenges. Hochul had previously paused the implementation of the tolling program before the 2024 election, a move seen by some as politically motivated, and then reinstated it shortly after.

Blakeman proposed alternative solutions to traffic congestion, focusing on improving public transit. He suggested enhancing subway safety and staffing, increasing the presence of conductors and police officers in stations, and cracking down on fare evasion, which reportedly cost the MTA over $1 billion in 2024.

A spokesperson for Governor Hochul responded to Blakeman's remarks, drawing a parallel between his stance and that of former President Donald Trump. "In Bruce Blakeman and Donald Trump’s version of New York, it’s more expensive and impossible to get anywhere, gas prices are at record highs, and the LIRR gets defunded when you try to get around Blakeman’s own county," the spokesperson said. "While Governor Hochul is making our subways safer, investing billions into public safety, and funding public transit that helps New Yorkers get to work, get their kids to school, and get home, Bruce Blakeman is once again taking Trump’s side instead of standing up for New York."