Motorists headed to some of Manhattan’s busiest streets have begun paying the nation’s first $9 congestion toll. They claim the controversial levy will drive people out of Gotham and devastate the local economy.
The scheme officially goes into effect at midnight Sunday, and drivers entering the city below 60th Street will be charged $9 off-peak during peak hours (5am to 9pm on weekdays, 9am to 9pm on weekends). You will then have to pay $2.25. For hours.
During peak hours, rates are $21.60 for large trucks, $14.40 for light trucks, and $4.50 for motorcycles.
One of the first drivers to pay, a man who declined to give his name, appears to have given up on paying.
“There’s nothing we can do. They’ve already decided, there’s nothing we can do,” he said after passing through a toll reader near the Lincoln Tunnel.
Another driver, informed that he had missed his last chance to get into Manhattan traffic for free, said, “Now?!” “Ah, ah”
Early Saturday, hours before the plan went into effect, a driver broke the plan and slammed Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“We pay a lot of money to live in this once great city, and it has taken a hit recently. I think it’s a terrible thing to ask for that much money,” Samantha Popper said. A 44-year-old housewife who lives nearby.
“It’s infuriating that in just one day I will be charged a hefty toll just to cross Highway 61 in my neighborhood,” she added.
Her message to Gov. Cathy Hochul is to “work harder” to keep New Yorkers here and “don’t try to raise prices and drive them out of town.”
Brian Anderson, a 42-year-old information technology specialist who had lived in New Jersey for more than 10 years, died five years ago after being hit in the face with a watch while reading on the subway. He said he moved to New Jersey.
He said he moved specifically to avoid using public transportation, but realizes financially that may no longer be an option.
“I’ll probably be using NJ Transit more often, but it’s not fun,” he said.
“Otherwise, it would cost $30 to $40 just to go to the other side of the Hudson River.”
Lyft driver Jose Sierra denounced the plan as a “money grab”.
“Tolls will go up, bridges will go up. It’s going to be terrible,” he said.
And Luigi, the Uber driver, said, “It’s all a scam.”
“People aren’t going to drive their cars into the city,” he says.
“Taxi drivers, Uber drivers, we’re going to make them bear this cost. That’s why you’re punishing them.”
Not everyone was against paying the price. An Uber driver named Hussein, who was one of the first drivers to pay near the Lincoln Tunnel just after midnight, told the Post: “I drive an Uber and I think it’s a good thing there’s less traffic.”
Hochul and the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority raced against time to impose tolls before President-elect Donald Trump took office on January 20. Trump repealed congestion pricing, calling it “the most regressive tax known to women.”
A Siena College poll conducted earlier this month found Trump joined 51% of New Yorkers who oppose the controversial tax, while 29% approve and another 20% are unsure. He says he doesn’t have it.
“This cash grab will only hurt commuters’ wallets and the local economy, and we’re already hearing from many people who say they won’t go to Manhattan anymore. It will definitely impact restaurants, theaters, and small businesses. ” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn).
The MTA says the pricing is meant to reduce pollution from traffic congestion and raise $15 billion for mass transit improvements, including extending the Second Avenue subway, improving traffic lights and purchasing hundreds of new electric buses. claims it is necessary.
The agency is offering a $3 credit to cars with EZ Passes that enter toll zones through the Lincoln, Queens Midtown, Hugh L. Carey or Holland tunnels during peak hours.
Drivers earning less than $50,000 can claim a 50% discount on all trips after the first 10 in a calendar month.
Architects hope the plan will encourage more drivers to use public transport, but it comes after 10 people were killed on the subway last year. is.
Opponents like Susan Lee called on the MTA to first modernize its systems and make them more secure.
“I only ride the subway during rush hour because it’s not safe,” said Lee, a Chinatown activist and president of New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing.
She warned that a $9 “admission fee” would devastate areas around Chinatown and other pay zones, such as Little Italy and the Lower East Side, by driving up shipping costs and making transportation too expensive for customers.
And the plan has faced fierce opposition from working-class commuters, including teachers, police officers, firefighters and other emergency responders, who say they would have to disproportionately bear the economic costs of the additional fees. are.
At least 10 lawsuits are pending against congestion tolling, but experts say it will be even harder to put on the brakes once it’s in place.
A federal judge on Friday denied New Jersey’s emergency request to halt the new tolling program, and an appeals panel upheld the rejection on Saturday.
Congestion fees began hitting drivers the same day the Port Authority increased bridge and tunnel tolls.
For most vehicles, the new PA toll will increase from $15.38 to $16.06 during peak hours and $18.31 without E-ZPass.
Including congestion charges, drivers entering Manhattan from New Jersey through the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels would end up paying $22.06 during peak hours, or $31.81 if they don’t have an EZ Pass. It won’t happen.
Hochul was announced in June after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and other voters complained that the move could doom Democratic candidates in suburban House seats. The program, which was scheduled to begin with a $15 toll, was abruptly suspended.
He waited until after the November election to cave in to demands from car-hating environmental groups and other extremists to push for a $9 fare reduction. The toll structure is scheduled to rise to $12 for most vehicles in 2028 and $15 in 2031.
This is the first of its kind in the United States, but London and other cities around the world have similar programs.
Additional reporting by Khristina Narizhnaya and Marie Pohl.
