Driving into Manhattan? That’ll cost you, as new congestion toll takes effect
NEW YORK– That of New York new toll for drivers Entering downtown Manhattan debuted Sunday, meaning many people will pay $9 during rush hours to access the busiest part of the Big Apple.
The toll, known as congestion pricingis aimed at easing traffic congestion in the densely populated city while raising money to help repair the ailing public transport infrastructure.
“We have been studying this issue for five years. And if you’re in downtown Manhattan, it only takes about five minutes to see that New York has a real traffic problem,” Janno Lieber, chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, told reporters Friday after a court hearing that cleared for toll collection.
“We need to make it easier for people who choose to drive, or who have to drive, to get around the city.”
Driver fees depend on what time it is and whether drivers have an E-ZPass, an electronic toll collection system used in many states.
Most drivers with an E-ZPass must pay $9 to enter Manhattan south of Central Park on weekdays between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. and on weekends between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Outside business hours the toll is $2.25.
That’s in addition to the tolls drivers pay for crossing various bridges and tunnels to reach the city, although there will be a credit of up to $3 for those who have already paid to enter Manhattan through certain tunnels during rush hours.
President-elect Donald Trump, a Republican, has vowed to end the program when he takes office, but it is unclear whether he will follow through. The plan had stalled during his first term while awaiting a federal environmental review.
In November, Trump, whose namesake Trump Tower is in the toll zone, said congestion pricing “will put New York City at a disadvantage compared to competing cities and states, and businesses will flee.”
“Not only is this a huge burden on people coming in, it is also extremely inconvenient for both motorists and personal booking standards,” he said in a statement. “It will be virtually impossible for New York City to come back as long as the congestion tax is in effect.”
Other major cities around the world, including London and Stockholm, have similar congestion charging systems, but it’s the first in the U.S.
The toll was set to take effect last year with a $15 levy, but Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul abruptly halted the program before the 2024 elections, as congressional races in suburban areas around the city — the epicenter of opposition to the program — became considered. vital to her party’s efforts to regain control of Congress.
Not long after the elections Hochul has restarted the plan, but at the lower toll of $9. She denies there were politics at play and said she thought the original $15 was too much, although she had been an outspoken supporter of the program before ending it.
Congestion pricing also survived several lawsuits that tried to block the program, including a last-ditch effort by the state of New Jersey to have a judge throw a temporary roadblock against it. A spokesperson for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy Natalie Hamilton said in an email Saturday that they “will continue to fight this unfair and unpopular plan.”