Photo: Pixabay
Drivers will have to pay a $15 toll to drive into part of Manhattan after members of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board have just approved the move. The officials will implement daytime and nighttime fees, while the opponents fear that the trains will be overcrowded. This is a first for US cities.
The controversial decision would turn the Big Apple into the first city in the United States with congestion tolls on motorists that drive into its central business district. The transit officials voted 11-1 to greenlight the taxes in order to reduce traffic jams starting in June.
However, implementing the new toll system might be delayed due to several trials, as the opponents of the regulation have already filed suits to stop the plan from going into effect.
Several months ago, the board approved a similar plan, which has undergone several minor changes. They also rejected all the requests for exemptions and lower fees received from several groups of commuters and also from yellow cab drivers.
There will indeed be exceptions for several categories of drivers. But those will mostly be government workers. Any bus company with a Department Education contract, including public, private, and charter school buses, will also be exempted, as well as the city's bus fleet of 26,000 vehicles.
The decision to leave the first responders and teachers out of the exempted group infuriated the opponents of the new regulation.
Therefore, starting the summer, most commuter passenger vehicles that drive into Manhattan south of 60th Street, south of Central Park, during daytime hours, will be subject to the $15 toll.
The larger the vehicle, the higher the toll. However, late-night entries and motorcycles will be cheaper.
Authorities are thus trying to convince people to leave their cars at home and use public transportation instead in an attempt to reduce congestion. This will benefit public buses and emergency vehicles, will reduce pollution, and raise money for the improvement of the subway network. Commuters worry that the trains will now be more crowded.
The opponents of the first-ever decision of the kind claim that it will lead to a price increase of state goods that are shipped to the city by trucks.
MTA notes that the vote follows an extensive outreach period of five years, with tens of thousands of people weighing in through comments and at public hearings.
The fees are as follows:
However, implementing the new toll system might be delayed due to several trials, as the opponents of the regulation have already filed suits to stop the plan from going into effect.
Several months ago, the board approved a similar plan, which has undergone several minor changes. They also rejected all the requests for exemptions and lower fees received from several groups of commuters and also from yellow cab drivers.
There will indeed be exceptions for several categories of drivers. But those will mostly be government workers. Any bus company with a Department Education contract, including public, private, and charter school buses, will also be exempted, as well as the city's bus fleet of 26,000 vehicles.
The decision to leave the first responders and teachers out of the exempted group infuriated the opponents of the new regulation.
Therefore, starting the summer, most commuter passenger vehicles that drive into Manhattan south of 60th Street, south of Central Park, during daytime hours, will be subject to the $15 toll.
The larger the vehicle, the higher the toll. However, late-night entries and motorcycles will be cheaper.
Authorities are thus trying to convince people to leave their cars at home and use public transportation instead in an attempt to reduce congestion. This will benefit public buses and emergency vehicles, will reduce pollution, and raise money for the improvement of the subway network. Commuters worry that the trains will now be more crowded.
The opponents of the first-ever decision of the kind claim that it will lead to a price increase of state goods that are shipped to the city by trucks.
MTA notes that the vote follows an extensive outreach period of five years, with tens of thousands of people weighing in through comments and at public hearings.
The fees are as follows:
- $15 for cars that enter Manhattan at 61st Street and below during the day
- $3.75 for cars that enter Manhattan at 61st Street and below during the night
- $7.50 for motorcycles during the day
- $1.75 for motorcycles during the night
- $24 - $36 for trucks during the day
- $6 - $9 for trucks at night
- $1.25 for taxi drivers per ride
- $2.50 for Uber and Lyft drivers
It's a historic day: Today, the MTA Board voted to approve the toll rates for the nation's first congestion pricing program. This program will reduce traffic in Manhattan's central business district, reduce pollution, and provide critical funding for transit improvements.
— MTA (@MTA) March 27, 2024
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