$15 tolls likely for nation’s first congestion pricing program
NYC aims to cut emissions, boost public transit
NEW YORK — The first congestion pricing program in the United States is taking final shape in New York City, and it appears likely that most drivers will have to pay $15 to enter some of the busiest streets in Manhattan as soon as next spring.
Officials on Wednesday provided the clearest picture yet of the tolls they hope to implement. They aim to collect roughly $1 billion annually to fund improvements to the city’s subway and bus networks.
The program faces a few hurdles, including a final vote by transit leaders and a legal challenge from New Jersey officials. But after various failed attempts over decades, New York seems poised to join a handful of other global centers with a toll program that aims to encourage the use of public transit, reduce pollution, and unclog some of the world’s most traffic-choked streets — roughly the southern third of Manhattan.
In a brief report, officials said cars would pay a toll of up to $15 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street once per day. Commercial trucks would pay as much as $36. Taxis will add $1.25 per fare, and ride-hail apps including Uber and Lyft will tack on an extra $2.50 per ride.
The report also revealed who would get the biggest discounts, credits, and exemptions, which have been hotly debated questions. The recommendations were narrowed down from a list of possibilities that had been studied over the past year.
“It’s a huge step forward for the region,” said Carl Weisbrod, chair of the Traffic Mobility Review Board, an advisory panel that wrote the report. “We’ve seen it work elsewhere around the world and now it is becoming concrete.”
London, Stockholm, and Singapore have congestion programs that are considered models because they have successfully reined in traffic. New York’s proposal would cost a typical motorist a bit less than London’s and a bit more than Stockholm’s.
The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which would oversee the program, could still make tweaks to the pricing structure. After the advisory group’s report is released Thursday, it will be opened to public input. And opponents of congestion pricing are still trying to derail it in court.
Urban planning experts said even if the program meets its intended goals, the authority must closely monitor the effects of the tolls and make adjustments if there are any negative ones. Yonah Freemark, a researcher at the Urban Institute, said it is impossible to know for certain how the fees will reshape traffic patterns.
“We’ve seen some previous evidence that the congestion charge, according to some models, may result in more traffic and more pollution in parts of the Bronx because of people choosing not to go through the central business district,” Freemark said. “I think that’s something that deserves monitoring.”
Various groups have sought exemptions, including taxi and Uber drivers and suburbanites, dragging out the program’s approval. The most aggressive objection has come from New Jersey lawmakers, who sued the federal government in July for signing off on the plan. Officials in that state cited concerns that the tolls would place unfair financial and environmental burdens on residents. The lawsuit remains unresolved.
But for now, nothing is stopping the MTA from moving forward with the program and unveiling a pricing structure that is probably approaching its final version.
The most recently proposed toll of $15 falls near the middle of the fee scale that the authority had been considering, which ranged from $9 to $23. The advisory group’s tolling structure also has minimal exemptions, discounts, and credits, which Weisbrod said was done in order to benefit “the many, not the few.”
The proposal sought to strike a balance among many competing interests. Advocates praised the suggested rates as reasonable and on par with other cities around the world.