New York City has become the first U.S. city to implement and launch a congestion toll. Today is the first workday New Yorkers will be hit with the new toll as they enter the center of Manhattan.
On weekdays from 5 a.m. – 9 p.m. and on weekends from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. drivers with an E-ZPass will pay $9. to enter what is being called the “Manhattan’s Central Business District.” The area is anywhere south of 60th St. and 14,000 cameras are now in place to capture vehicles as they pass through.
Overnight fees will be $2.25 for E-ZPass owners. Motorcycles will have a peak fee of $4.50 and off peak fee of $1.05, trucks and busses will have a peak fee of $14.40-$21.60 and off peak of $3.30-$5.40, depending on their size and function.
Anyone without a pass will be charged a 50% higher rate and will receive the bill by mail.
Tolls will have an effect on the prices of taxi and ride-sharing services (such as Uber and Lyft), which will charge $0.75 and $1.50 respectively per ride.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, “The law envisioned going up to $23. I know the impact this has on people, I understand this. But I also know that we have to make investments in our public transit system full stop. It takes a lot of money to do that.” She claims it will save time off people’s commute and that people like the idea.
The goal is to reduce traffic gridlock, make emergency response time faster and raise money to help the public transit infrastructure. “We need to make it easier for people who choose to drive, or who have to drive to get around the city,” said Janno Lieber, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair and CEO.
Other cities considering Congestion Tolls are Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C.
President elect Donald Trump doesn’t like the extra toll concept and would fight it when he’s in office.
By - FZ
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