It would cost $15 a day per car to circulate in Midtown New York: MTA approved congestion pricing – El Diario NY

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board voted overwhelmingly (8-1) to approve the tolls of road congestion, claiming that they will contribute millions of dollars to modernize public transportation and reduce traffic.

The plan is charge a daily toll to all drivers for entering the Central Business District (CBD) from Manhattan from 60th Street Downtown to the southern end of the island, from 5 am to 9 pm every weekday and from 9 am to 9 pm on weekends. The rate varies depending on the type of vehicle:

-Passenger car: $15 dollars.
-Small trucks (including moving vans): $24
-Large trucks: $36
-Motorcycles: $7.50
-Taxis: $1.25 per trip.
-Trips with applications: $2.50 per trip.

The objective is begin collecting tolls in late spring 2024, but will likely be slightly delayed. Now that the MTA has approved the initial plan there will be a 60-day response period, which will include four public hearings at the end of February and beginning of March. Any possible adjustments to the plan – such as Mayor Eric Adams’ request for more exemptions for vehicles like taxis – could be added sooner than would be a “final” vote in April.

The approval came after the Traffic Mobility Review Board (TMRB) will deliver its report to the MTA on Nov. 30, laying out general guidelines for the proposed tolls, including costs, when certain prices will go into effect, who gets credits and more, he detailed. NBC News.

Drivers would only be charged once a day for entering the zone, not for exiting or remaining in it. That means CBD residents who circle their block to find parking will not be charged.

Any driver who enters the area, then exits and returns, will only be charged the toll once for that day. There will also be discounts or “crossover credits” for cars that use any of the four tunnels to reach Manhattan: Lincoln, Holland, Queens-Midtown and Brooklyn-Battery. But there will be no exception for those who cross the George Washington Bridge and then continue to Midtown.

The review board said implementation of its congestion pricing plan is expected to reduce the number of vehicles entering the area by 17%. That would be equivalent to 153,000 fewer cars in that large part of Manhattan. They also predicted that the plan would result in $15 billion dollars that would be used to modernize the Metro and buses.

“Excess traffic is costing the New York City region $20 billion a year,” said TMRB’s Kathy Wylde.

“Right now, we are very ready and excited to accommodate the projected movement of a part of the public by car towards public transport”, said MTA President Janno Lieber. “We have a lot of space in terms of transit, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop pushing to increase service.”

David Mack was the only MTA board member to oppose the plan when it came up for a vote yesterday morning. The other nine members voted to approve it.

The New York Governor Kathy Hochul who has been a strong advocate for congestion pricing, praised the board’s approval. “The price of congestion means cleaner air, better traffic and fewer traffic jams on the streets of New York City and today’s vote by the MTA Board is a critical step forward,” he said. it’s a statement. “The approved proposal responds to my call to reduce the toll rate by almost 35% compared to the maximum rate originally considered.”

The $15 toll is roughly a midpoint between previously reported possibilities, which ranged from $9 to $23.

The plan has been controversial since its inceptionespecially among private transport drivers. Bhairavi Desai, director of the Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), said in a statement that the rate plan is “a reckless proposal that will devastate an entire workforce.”

Also in July, the New Jersey government filed a lawsuit against the federal government in an effort to block congestion pricing. Staten Island County (NYC) has said it also plans to sue the MTA over the plan.