Support for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) congestion traffic pricing in New York City has ticked up as President Trump moved to revoke the policy, according to a new survey.
The Siena College poll released Monday showed 42 percent of New York City voters said they support the program, while 35 percent are opposed and 16 percent said they were “in the middle,” a big swing from December, when the same pollster found only 32 percent backed it and 56 percent were against.
A plurality of New York state voters, 40 percent, still said they are against the pricing plan, while 33 percent expressed support. But that’s still a shift in favor from December, when 51 percent were opposed and 29 percent favored it.
Federal officials during the Biden administration had approved in November Hochul’s plan to institute a $9 toll on cars driving into Manhattan, which she had backed as a way to cut down on traffic congestion and air pollution. Hochul had planned a $15 toll earlier in 2024 that she later brought down.
But Trump revoked the approval last month, declaring that congestion pricing is “DEAD” and that Manhattan and all of New York is “SAVED.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the plan “a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners.”
Hochul vowed to oppose the Trump administration decision in court, arguing that the plan is working as congestion has dropped, commuters are getting to work faster and more people are choosing to travel to local businesses by foot.
Her condemnation of Trump’s action came as she has stepped up her criticism of the president after initially expressing hope for finding areas to work with him.
While the poll shows more voters supporting the plan, congestion pricing remains controversial and has elicited strong opinions on both sides.
“A plurality of [New York] voters wants to see congestion pricing eliminated, as Trump has called for,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg in a release. “Pluralities of New York City voters and Democrats want congestion pricing to remain, Hochul’s position.”
The poll was conducted from March 2 to 6 among 806 registered voters in New York State. The margin of error of the entire sample was 4.3 percentage points.
