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New York Chinatown community expands lawsuits and demonstrations against traffic congestion tolls

Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA) is expected to come into force in early Junetraffic jam tollplan, but class-action lawsuits over the plan are still growing; On the 27th,ChinatownThe “New Yorkers Against Traffic Congestion Fee” organization, initiated by Li Cuishan and others, held a protest against traffic congestion fees in front of City Hall and announced that the class action lawsuit had grown to nearly 50 people. It believes that the environmental assessment conducted by the authorities is incomplete and hopes that the relevant entities will conduct a fair and reasonable review. Comprehensive measurement.

According to the MTA’s latest plan, vehicles entering Manhattan south of 60th Street will be charged a maximum toll of 15 yuan, while the commercial truck rate is 36 yuan; For passenger cars, taxis will charge an additional 1.25 yuan per trip and online rides – for services like Uber and Lyft – will charge an additional 2.5 yuan per trip. Although the new standards were already watered down, many groups, including New Yorkers Against Traffic Tolls, still believe that the research done by officials is inadequate.

After filing a lawsuit against the MTA in the Federal Court of the Southern District of New York on the 18th of last month, the organization protested against the traffic jam fee in front of City Hall on the same day and announced that the number of joint lawsuits has increased. The number increased from 31 to 49, including several small business representatives and retired public officials. Katherine Freed, one of the initial plaintiffs and a former Chinatown City Council member, said there are currently about 50 plaintiffs from the city’s five boroughs and Long Island. This suggests that the negative impact of traffic congestion tolls will not be limited to Manhattan, but will affect a wide range of environments. Effect.

Therefore, the organization believes that the “environmental assessment” conducted by the MTA is incomplete and based on inaccurate data and surveys, which will harm small businesses, people of color, and low-income people. Therefore, the authorities need to conduct a proper and comprehensive re-measurement. Vito Labella, a new plaintiff and retired city police member, said that because his disabled wife often has to travel by car for treatment, the implementation of the traffic congestion charge has created enormous and unnecessary pressure on the family.

Another new plaintiff, Peter Zabilskis, a 69-year-old former professor of anthropology at the University of Macau, also said that the project would not only bring great difficulties to those who have discomforts in their legs and feet, but would also greatly reduce the cost of living. Access to New York City’s future talent. attractiveness, as the rising cost of living will be a deterrent for young scholars, innovative minds and international students. Additionally, the plaintiffs include a total of nine city councilors, including Susan Zhuang, Vicki Paladino, Kalman Yeager and David Carr.

Chinatown resident Li Kaiming said that as the most vulnerable community in the toll area, Chinatown has mostly small-scale shops. If traffic congestion toll is implemented, it will not only face rising costs but will also lose customers. He also said that Chinatown is also facing problems such as urban prisons, housing shortage and bail law reform. If any other factor is added, it will further aggravate the plight of the community.

Court documents show that in addition to the MTA Transportation Review Committee, the defendants include the state Department of Transportation and the Municipal Transportation Bureau. Despite this, the MTA has repeatedly stressed that tolls will benefit the majority of citizens, reduce traffic pressure, and provide funding for renovation of the subway system.

The organization “New Yorkers Against Traffic Congestion Fees” held a protest against the traffic congestion fee in front of City Hall on the 27th and announced that the class action lawsuit had grown to nearly 50 people. (Reporter Liu Ziqi/Photography)

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