$15 toll likely for nation’s first congestion pricing program

The nation’s first congestion pricing program is taking final shape in New York City, and it appears most drivers will likely pay $15 to enter some of Manhattan’s busiest streets next spring.

Transit officials on Wednesday provided the clearest picture yet of the tolls they hope to implement to raise about $1 billion annually to fund improvements to the subway and bus networks.

After several failed attempts over decades, New York appears poised to join a handful of other global centers with a toll program that aims to encourage the use of public transportation, clean the air from pollution and unclog some of the most congested streets in the world – about the southern third of the length of Manhattan.

In a 19-page report, transit officials whittled down a dizzying list of toll options studied over the past year to a single set. Cars pay a toll of up to $15 per day, and commercial trucks pay as much as $36. Taxis will add $1.25 per trip and taxi apps like Uber and Lyft will add an additional $2.50 per trip. The report also showed who gets the biggest discounts, credits and exemptions, which are often debated.

“It’s a huge step forward for the region,” said Carl Weisbrod, chairman of the Traffic Mobility Review Board, an advisory panel that wrote the report. “We have seen it work elsewhere in the world and now it is becoming concrete.”

London, Stockholm and Singapore have congestion programs that are considered models because they have successfully controlled traffic.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, which would oversee the program, could still make changes to the pricing structure. When the advisory group’s report is released Thursday, it will be opened for public input. And opponents of congestion pricing are still trying to derail it in court.

The plan had been stalled for decades due to a litany of complaints from commuters and civic and business leaders: many motorists worried they would have to pay new tolls on top of existing ones, and other critics worried it would send traffic and pollution to other parts of the city. city ​​would be diverted. .

Several groups have demanded exemptions — including taxi, suburban and Uber drivers — delaying 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 expressed concern that the toll would place unfair financial and environmental burdens on residents. The lawsuit remains unresolved.

But for now, there’s nothing stopping the MTA from moving forward with the program and unveiling a pricing structure that’s most likely approaching its final version.

The most recently proposed $15 toll falls in the low-mid range of fees the authority had been considering, which ranged from $9 to $23. The advisory group’s toll structure also has minimum waivers, discounts and credits, which Mr. Weisbrod said was done to “benefit the many, not the few.”

Discounts have been given to low-income motorists, who will receive a 50 percent discount on tolls during the day after the first ten trips in a calendar month. It will also be much cheaper to drive at night: between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. costs are reduced by 75 percent.

Passenger vehicle drivers entering the congestion zone through the Queens-Midtown, Hugh L. Carey, Holland and Lincoln Tunnels will receive a $5 credit during the day. Motorcycles will receive a $2.50 rebate, small commercial trucks will receive a $12 credit, and larger trucks receive a $20 discount.

Certain vehicles transporting people with disabilities and authorized emergency vehicles do not pay. People whose primary residence is in the toll district and whose income is less than $60,000 are eligible for a state tax credit equal to the amount of their toll.

The authors of the report had trouble deciding how much should commercial trucks be charged due to concerns that some of new york city’s poorest neighborhoods could experience dirtier air from diverted traffic. But the MTA has since formally committed millions of dollars in investments to these communities, including $20 million for an asthma control program and $10 million to install air filtration units in schools near freeways.

The hope, Mr. Weisbrod said, is that commercial drivers will choose to drive at night to ease daytime traffic and avoid creating new bottlenecks.

The group also struggled to figure out how much to charge taxis as taxi drivers fear higher fares will reduce demand for taxis. The new report recommends charging yellow cabs less than rental vehicles to address concerns that additional costs would put them at a disadvantage compared to Uber and Lyft. But it does not give taxi drivers the full relief they sought.

The rates proposed this week will be the subject of public hearings before a final vote takes place early next year. The MTA, meanwhile, said it had already installed 60 percent of the electronic equipment needed to pay tolls.