People Friendly Stamford is a local community advocacy group working to transform Stamford’s neighborhoods to make them more walkable and bikeable, economically vibrant, affordable, and less reliant on cars. We are writing to urge that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board move forward with congestion pricing and use all legal power at their disposal to compel Gov. Kathy Hochul to comply with the existing congestion pricing law. Stamford residents rely heavily on Metro-North Railroad as a key lifeline connecting us to the economic and cultural hub that is New York City. The congestion pricing funding was slated to upgrade critical infrastructure to maintain and improve service on the New Haven line which services Connecticut including Stamford. With no better or realistic alternative to congestion pricing as a means of funding critical capital projects, the MTA must move forward with congestion pricing as planned. The MTA cannot in good conscience acquiesce to the unreasonable demands of the governor to embrace a catastrophic funding gap. Beyond what a good conscience demands or the lack of a realistic alternative to congestion pricing, the MTA Board has a fundamental fiduciary duty to protect the interests of customers, suppliers, employees, and the public at large. These duties are clearly specified in the Governance Guidelines, as amended Dec. 20, 2023, under: 2) Functions of the Board include (b) reviewing, approving and monitoring fundamental financial and business strategies and major actions, including fundamental financial and management controls; (c) assessing major risks facing the MTA and reviewing options for the mitigation of these risks; (d) ensuring processes are in place for maintaining the integrity of the MTA, including the integrity of the financial statements of the MTA. It is imperative that the Board strictly adhere to its fiduciary duty to ensure financial controls and mitigate risks. The I-95 corridor, which runs through Stamford, is heavily congested during rush hour and the MTA’s analysis predicted the congestion pricing plan would have led to 500 additional trips on the New Haven line during peak hours. Generating additional trips on the regional rail system and removing cars from I-95 during rush hour would have done much to alleviate traffic in Fairfield County. No alternative funding scheme can deliver the traffic alleviation that congestion pricing brings. The environmental fallout from failing to implement congestion pricing will be felt for generations. Reducing regional vehicle miles traveled is critical for improving air quality and reducing the effects of global warming. Every moment of delay compounds the damage of additional greenhouse gas emissions. No alternative funding scheme can deliver the environmental benefits of congestion pricing. Finally, New York City will set the precedent for whether congestion pricing is feasible for implementation in other cities. Almost every city in America has worse land use, worse mass transit systems and greater suburban veto power so if congestion pricing cannot be implemented in New York City it basically dooms any attempt to implement congestion pricing anywhere else. Congestion pricing must move forward for the good of the city, the region and the country. Zachary Oberholtzer writes on behalf of People Friendly Stamford.