Photo by Diane Picchiottino on Unsplash
NYC Congestion Pricing: City Dwellers, Commuters Pay More To Drive
March 1, 2024
Life will get even more expensive for New Yorkers and those who commute into the city for work.
In 2019, New York State enacted the Traffic Mobility Act (the Act), directing the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), an affiliate of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), to establish a congestion tolling program. This program charges vehicles for entering or remaining in the Manhattan CBD area.
The CBD is defined as Manhattan south of and inclusive of 60th Street, excluding the FDR Drive, the West Side Highway, and any surface roadway portion of the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connecting to West Street.
As of Feb. 28, the MTA stated that 95% of the toll readers have already been installed, “covering 104 of the planned 110 locations,” according to NBC New York.
Passenger vehicles and passenger-type vehicles with commercial license plates will be charged a $15 toll for entering the CBD no more than once daily. Subsequently, trucks will be charged a $24 or $36 toll, depending on their size.
NY’s $15 congestion pricing toll timeline revealed: Here’s when Manhattan drivers may start being charged https://t.co/Dv5bdaSrFU pic.twitter.com/L74OliYDHz
— New York Post (@nypost) February 7, 2024
Buses providing transit or commuter services will be exempted from the toll. But charter, intercity, and tour buses may be charged a $24 or $36 toll. Motorcycles will be charged half the passenger vehicle toll, at most once per day.
The tolls will be charged to drivers only as they enter the congestion pricing area, not if they remain or leave. The top costs will apply during the city’s most congested times, from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Toll rates are expected to be 75% lower in the nighttime.
The New York Post reports that the MTA argues the additional toll, which aims to curb peak-day congestion on busy Manhattan streets, will reap $1 billion per year that would, in turn, fund significant upgrades to the subway, commuter railroads, and bus systems. The MTA believes this move will help with congestion on some of Manhattan’s busiest streets, reduce pollution, and improve public transportation infrastructure.
Drivers will be hit with the toll via their E-ZPass tags. For those who don’t have an E-ZPass, the vehicle’s registered owner will receive a bill via mail. Congestion pricing is set to begin in mid-June.
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