Cynthia Nixon released a transit financing and overhaul plan on Thursday that mimics strategies already embraced by other politicians, including her ally Mayor de Blasio and her opponent Gov. Cuomo.
Nixon’s plan calls for congestion pricing to pay for subway improvements, an idea that has been batted around for years by transit advocates and Cuomo.
The actress also wants to a congestion pricing fee of $5.26 each way for cars entering and leaving Manhattan business districts — an idea recommended by Cuomo’s FixNYC task force.
Nixon’s plan also touts de Blasio’s millionaires’ tax idea, which has been deemed DOA in Albany.
And there’s a new “polluter tax’’ that would be imposed on the state’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, largely fossil fuel companies.
The Nixon campaign said research shows that a modest polluter fee — beginning at $35 per ton of emissions and increasing gradually — would generate about $7 billion every year over the first 10 years.
Nixon, who is challenging two-term incumbent Cuomo in the Democratic primary, said the subways are a priority.
“We don’t have any choice but to fix our subways,” she wrote. “The governor has kicked this can down the road for eight years because it doesn’t affect him or his wealthy donors. New Yorkers deserve better than to be stuck in a perpetual signal delay.”
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which recently unveiled a ten-year $37 billion transit overhaul plan, rapped Nixon’s plan as a copycat. So did Cuomo, whose appointees run it.
“Stop the presses: after basing her entire campaign on slamming the MTA & @andrewcuomo, @cynthianixon just endorsed…the MTA’s own plan to fix the subways and the Gov’s FixNYC congestion pricing mechanism,” Cuomo campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith tweeted.
“Only daylight is her support for @billdeblasio’s DOA millionaire’s tax.”
Responded MTA spokesman Jon Weinstein: “After three months of slamming the MTA in the press, Ms. Nixon released a plan to fix the subways and it was the MTA’s plan. Thanks.”
For his part, Cuomo repeated his support for congestion pricing and noted that only a portion of the plan he embraced — imposing a surcharge on for-hire vehicles — was approved by the Legislature in March and goes into effect in the fall.
Private vehicles are not subject to the fee.
“I think congestion pricing, surcharge on cabs and yellow, greens, etc., and normalizing the tolls on the outer boroughs is the only feasible, realistic answer,” said Cuomo, who was holding a press conference in Suffolk County about building a reef using material from the old Tappan Zee Bridge. “Everything else is just politics.”
“I look forward to passing that next year. That will provide a consistent funding stream to the New York City Transit Authority,” he said. “We don’t have another feasible alternative.”
Cuomo said the money would be used to help fund transit boss’ Andy Byford’s ten-year transit overhaul. He endorsed the Byford plan for the first time Thursday, after offering the a cool reception after it was unveiled last week.
Nixon campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt shot back that it’s Cuomo and the MTA who’ve been foot-dragging on improving subways.
“We embraced the plan last week as soon as it was announced (unlike Cuomo who took a full 7 days to come around). What we bashed them for was not having a sufficient plan until last week, when the subway has been struggling for years,” she said.