What you need to know about congestion pricing
The officials who oversee congestion pricing in New York City on Wednesday detailed their recommendations on how much drivers should pay to enter the busiest part of Manhattan and who should get discounts.
New York is expected to become the first city in the country to implement congestion pricing next spring. The system will charge cars, buses, motorcycles and trucks a rate based on vehicle size and occupancy to enter Manhattan at or below 60th Street, including popular tourist destinations such as Times Square and busy shopping streets such as Chelsea and SoHo.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive, the West Side Highway and portions of the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel are excluded.
Here’s how the program will work if it is approved by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board early next year. The program continues to face a legal challenge from the state of New Jersey.
What will the toll cost?
Cars entering the toll zone known as the Central Business District will have to pay $15 but will only have to pay once per day, the Traffic Mobility Review Board, which advises the MTA on congestion pricing, will recommend in a report. Depending on their size, commercial trucks are charged $24 or $36. The same fares apply to buses, but not to buses “providing transit or commuting services.” Motorcycles are charged $7.50 only once per day.
Taxis and rideshares will not be charged the daily rate, but an additional $1.25 will be added to taxi fares and $2.50 to rideshares.
These rates apply during most of the day, between 5:00 AM and 9:00 PM on weekdays and between 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM on weekends.
Will any toll rates be reduced?
Yes. Low-income drivers can register with the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, the agency responsible for the congestion charge, for a 50 percent discount on all trips to the Central Business District after the first ten trips in a month. This group of drivers includes people with a household income of less than $50,000 who drive to work in the neighborhood.
Drivers entering Manhattan via routes that are already tolled, such as the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, will receive a $5 credit toward the daily congestion charge.
Public works vehicles, such as garbage trucks and snow plows, are exempt from congestion charges.
How will the MTA track cars entering the toll zone?
Electronic detection points are placed at the entrances and exits of the toll zone. On Manhattan’s north-south avenues, the equipment will typically be located between 60th and 61st Streets.
The authority estimates that it will install a total of 120 detection points; 85 would be placed on bollards and arms, while 35 would be placed on structures such as bridges and skylights.
Why is the city doing this?
The aim of congestion pricing is to reduce traffic, reduce air pollution and use the new revenues – expected to run into the billions – to improve public transport. Many cities in Europe and Asia have introduced congestion pricing. New York is one of the busiest cities in the United States; According to the board’s recommendations, all that traffic costs the local economy an estimated $20 billion a year.
Ana Ley reporting contributed.