The MTA recently announced that congestion pricing will start on June 30, but the group New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax says not so fast.   

The group says they filed a lawsuit in January demanding an environmental impact statement from the MTA. 

This is one of multiple lawsuits, including one from Long Island filed on Wednesday. 

They say the pricing will increase pollution in neighborhoods like the East Village, where there’s a high concentration of NYCHA housing. 

They also say it will prevent people from patronizing areas like Chinatown and Little Italy, which are already hurting from the pandemic.    “You go to the east part of Chinatown all the businesses are all gone – almost all gone.  My office is near the business shopping mall – it used to be the shopping mall for the whole area and now two thirds of businesses are closed,” local district leader, Justin Yu, said at a recent press conference.    The MTA told News 12 in a statement they are responding to this “pro-traffic” lawsuit in court where a 4,000-page environmental assessment will show that congestion pricing will lead to less traffic and safer streets.