New York City entry toll is first of its kind
Congestion fees are approved for driving in part of Manhattan.
NEW YORK — New York is on track to become the first U.S. city with congestion tolls on drivers entering its central business district after transit officials approved a $15 fee for most motorists headed into part of Manhattan.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted Wednesday to greenlight the congestion pricing plan, expected to go into effect in June. The board approved only minor changes to a plan that was presented to the public months ago, and brushed off requests for exceptions by dozens of groups of commuters.
The $15 toll will apply to most commuter passenger vehicles that drive into Manhattan south of 60th Street, south of Central Park, in daytime hours. The toll is higher for larger vehicles and lower for motorcycles. It’s also lower late at night.
Supporters of the toll say it will push more people to use public transportation, reduce congestion to speed up public buses and emergency vehicles, reduce pollution, and raise money to improve the subway system.
The state Legislature approved the tolls in 2019, mandating that the program should raise $1 billion per year to fund public subway and bus systems for the city’s 4 million daily riders. The legislation also established the boundaries of the zone to cover the city’s busiest area, and scaled back proposals to extend to 86th Street. The pandemic and lack of federal regulation stalled the project until now.
Tolls will vary based on the time of day and the size of the vehicle, ranging from $1.75 for motorcycles crossing overnight to $36 for sightseeing buses and trucks with trailers during the day. The overnight period runs from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays, and from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends.
Visitors who lack E-ZPasses — a device that collects toll information remotely — will pay more. And as on bridges, license plate readers are expected to identify other drivers, so that they can be billed by mail.
Taxis will charge passengers $1.25 per trip that touches the zone, while appbased rides will charge $2.50.
The vote Wednesday followed two months of public comment in which over 100 categories of drivers asked to be exempted from the tolls. They ranged from small groups such as holders of diplomatic license plates to large groups such as residents of the neighboring states of New Jersey and Connecticut. Commuters from other states and boroughs already pay tolls for bridges and tunnels to the island of Manhattan, and the congestion fee will come on top of that.
But the $1 billion in toll revenue mandated by the state law meant that eliminating charges for one group would increase the price for everyone else, so most requests for exceptions weren’t granted.
Some exceptions survived, including a free pass for emergency vehicles, specialized city vehicles, and buses with regular public routes or city school contracts. Vehicles carrying disabled people and certain low-income commuters also get a pass. Low-income drivers are eligible for discounts and tax credits.
New York’s plan has drawn lawsuits from smallbusiness owners and the state of New Jersey.
If the plan survives those legal challenges, New York will become the first U.S. city to implement a congestion pricing plan. Similar plans have been implemented in London, Stockholm, Milan and Singapore.
Virginia officials also implemented a toll system in 2017 to reduce congestion during rush hour on Interstate 66 near Washington.