A Joint Statement from Borough President Vito Fossella, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, Senator Andrew Lanza, Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, Assemblyman Michael Tannousis, Assemblyman Michael Reilly, Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo, Assemblyman Charles Fall, Councilmember Joseph Borelli, Councilmember David Carr, and Councilmember Kamillah Hanks on Ambulance Response Times in a Congestion Pricing Regime: A Joint Statement from Borough President Vito Fossella, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, Senator Andrew Lanza, Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, Assemblyman Michael Tannousis, Assemblyman Michael Reilly, Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo, Assemblyman Charles Fall, Councilmember Joseph Borelli, Councilmember David Carr, and Councilmember Kamillah Hanks on Ambulance Response Times in a Congestion Pricing Regime
Editor’s note: Staten Islander News has previously covered congestion pricing, including the lawsuit against the plan being joined by the Teacher’s Union and the NAACP, its likely effect of increasing economic impact on Staten Island neighborhoods while benefiting those in Manhattan, and of course the shifting of pollution from Manhattan to Staten Island, where there are many environmental justice communities that already suffer disproportionately from higher pollution.
The people of Staten Island know and have been fighting the proposed congestion pricing plan for a variety of reasons. One of the main reasons is that the MTA’s own study predicts that traffic will get worse on Staten Island, if congestion pricing is implemented. That is why it was so insulting to island commuters who had to watch the latest misleading advertisement from the MTA regarding ambulance and EMT response times.
The commercial that is now running on Staten Island-bound express busses promotes the narrative that, if implemented, congestion pricing will reduce the time it takes for ambulances to respond to emergencies.
If, by the MTA’s own estimation, traffic will get worse on Staten Island, wouldn’t response times get worse here as well?
Of course they would, but the MTA peddles this narrative out of arrogance, and because they care only for the people of Manhattan’s Central Business District, and not for those outside of it, especially the people of Staten Island.
We know that as traffic worsens, the time it takes for ambulances to help Staten Islanders will get longer, and people are going to suffer because of it.
As though Staten Islanders needed any more reminders of how many ways the MTA fails them, now they must sit and stare at ads on their evening commute, reminding them that their ambulances will come slower as congestion pricing adds more traffic to our roads.
Perhaps the MTA needed a fare hike to pay for the propaganda that broadcasts this arrogant falsehood to transit riders across the island.
Banner Image: Traffic. Image Credit – Jacek Dylag
BP Vito Fossella
The Office of the Borough President has a responsibility to advocate for the entire Borough of Staten Island and all its residents, and represents the Borough's interests within City government. The Borough President communicates directly with the Mayor and the City Council to emphasize Staten Island’s budget priorities. In addition, the Borough President is responsible for reviewing major land use decisions and proposing sites for city facilities within the Borough. As the chair of the Borough Board, the Borough President leads Staten Island’s City Council delegation and Community Board chairs in the process of reviewing and approving the transfer of public properties to private use. The Borough President’s Office houses the Borough's Topographical Bureau, which maintains the borough’s official maps and assigns street addresses. The Borough President monitors the delivery of city services on Staten Island, and acts as a liaison between residents and city agencies when problems arise to devise solutions. The Borough President is also responsible for appointing one member to the Panel for Educational Policy and one member to the City Planning Commission, as well as some 150 members to Staten Island’s three community boards.