Gov. Kathy Hochul has finally found a group of scofflaws she’s willing to stand up to: congestion-pricing cheaters.
In her state budget plan, the gov included harsh penalties for people who cheat on Manhattan’s coming $15 congestion toll.
The act of dodging the toll would become a Class A misdemeanor.
Sure seems like a stark contrast to her “First one’s free; second’s half price” proposal on farebeating.
If you duck more than $1,000 worth of tolls, you could be looking at a felony rap.
Let’s get this straight.
The gov’s a squish when it comes to subway and bus farebeating, a crime that costs the MTA — a fiscally imperiled agency under her ultimate aegis — $690 million a year.
But she’s for hardcore law and order when it comes to congestion-toll cheats, a new class of offenders that doesn’t even exist yet.
Dodging any public-service charge should be a serious matter.
That’s true for congestion pricing, bridge tolls and everything else.
But it goes double for farebeating, which (as MTA head Janno Lieber memorably put it to The Post) “tears at the social fabric” by undermining public trust, suggesting that the lawful are suckers for paying at all and letting the violent and insane hang out in the system.
Perhaps the gov feels safe targeting congestion cheaters simply because progressives basically despise all drivers.
Whereas the fact that progs bizarrely see criminals as victims explains why her efforts to repair the state’s disastrous criminal justice “reforms” have been so hapless.
If congestion cheats deserve a big response, so do other crimes, Governor.
Time to stand up to the crime fans in your own party on every issue.
