What you need to know
- There is a $15 surcharge for cars entering below 61st Street in Manhattan, while trucks may be charged between $24 and $36 depending on size. It could come into effect as early as mid-June.The only thing that can stop it at this point is a lawsuit, and the MTA says it doesn’t expect that to happen.
- Some exemptions are planned. Most of them are likely to include government vehicles. Yellow school buses contracted with the DOE and city-owned vehicles have also been revealed.
- The MTA board voted overwhelmingly in December to approve congestion pricing, saying imposing a fee on drivers entering a stretch of Manhattan would contribute millions of dollars to an aging transit system. He said it would be.
MTA Chairman and CEO Jano Lieber announced Wednesday that New Jersey will receive a portion of Manhattan’s congestion pricing plan funding when it goes into effect this summer.
Lieber did not specify the amount, but it is believed to be in the millions of dollars for major counties such as Bergen and Hudson, and perhaps some other counties. He said once congestion pricing begins in eight weeks, New Jersey’s share will be distributed according to the same formula already considered for areas expected to see increased traffic, such as the Bronx. Ta.
Details were not immediately available. For example, towns and municipalities within designated impact zones, such as Hoboken and Jersey City, would receive benefits.
The issue has become a major sticking point in New Jersey’s federal lawsuit challenging the congestion pricing plan. He cited undue influence as the reason. The judge is not expected to rule on the case until next month.
Gov. Phil Murphy’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Democrats previously called the proposal a “discriminatory” and “unfair toll system” and denounced it as a “blatant cash grab.”
Still, plans are underway. In late March, all but one MTA board member gave the green light to a plan to begin charging people $15 to enter cars below 61st Street in Manhattan within two months. Truck tolls are even higher.
All 110 fare readers have been installed, and the MTA expects to begin collecting them as early as June 15. Federal judges on both sides of the river could delay the plan, but the MTA said it expects those legal challenges to fail.
The congestion charge itself was approved in December. The MTA board voted overwhelmingly in favor, arguing that charging drivers to enter areas of Manhattan would contribute millions of dollars to an aging and cash-strapped transit system. did. The MTA said the plan would provide $15 billion to pay for new trains, signals and other improvements.
News 4’s Andrew Schiff reports.
How do congestion charges work?
Congestion tolls affect drivers entering the so-called Central Business District (CBD), which stretches from below 60th Street in Manhattan to the southern edge of the Financial District. In other words, most drivers entering midtown Manhattan or below would have to pay a toll, according to the commission’s report.
All drivers of cars, trucks, motorcycles and other vehicles will be charged a toll. Each vehicle will be charged a different amount. The breakdown of charges is as follows:
- Passenger car: $15
- Light trucks (box trucks, moving vans, etc.): $24
- Heavy truck: $36
- Motorcycle: $7.50
The $15 toll represents about the midpoint of the previously reported potential range of $9 to $23.
All-day rates apply from 5 AM to 9 PM on weekdays and from 9 AM to 9 PM on weekends. The commission recommends that after-hours tolls (9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays, 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends) be reduced by about 75% to about $3.50 per vehicle instead of $15. I asked for it.
Drivers are only charged for entering the zone, not for exiting or remaining within the zone. That means residents who enter the CBD and circle the block to find parking won’t be charged.
Fees are collected only once per day. Therefore, even if a person enters the area and then leaves and returns, he will only be charged once for that day.
The review committee said implementation of the congestion pricing plan is expected to reduce the number of vehicles entering the area by 17%. This equates to his 153,000 fewer cars in most of Manhattan. They also predicted the plan would bring in a $15 billion cash influx that could be used to modernize subways and buses.
The MTA’s fare increases will likely go into effect sooner than the public transit system expected. Tracy Strahan reports.
Can I get a discount?
Many groups hoped to receive exemptions, but few would avoid having to pay the full toll. That small group is limited to specialized government vehicles (such as snowplows) and emergency vehicles.
Low-income drivers who make less than $50,000 a year can claim half the daytime rate; rear First 10 trips in a month.
Although not exempt, there will also be so-called “crossing credits” for drivers who use any of the four tunnels to enter Manhattan. That means people who already pay tolls in the Lincoln Tunnel or Holland Tunnel, for example, won’t have to pay the full congestion charge. The credit amount is $5 per trip for cars, $2.50 for motorcycles, $12 for light trucks, and $20 for large trucks.
Drivers using the Queens-Midtown Tunnel from Long Island and Queens will receive the same breaks as drivers using the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. However, there is no such discount for those going south of his 60th Street across the George Washington Bridge.
Public sector workers (teachers, police, firefighters, transport workers, etc.), people living in so-called CBDs, utility companies, people making medical appointments in the area and people driving electric cars all benefit from this. I was hoping to receive it. Exemptions are granted. they got nothing.
Michael Mulgrew, president of UFT, one of the lead plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit over congestion pricing, said it’s now up to the courts to intervene, given the MTA’s approval.
“Now that the MTA Board has voted, can we stop a huge environmental injustice that threatens families outside of Manhattan’s congested belts, including communities that already suffer from some of the worst air pollution and asthma rates in Manhattan?” It will be up to the courts,” Mulgrew said.
New Jersey is suing the Federal Highway Administration over future congestion pricing in New York City. Patricia Battle Report.