The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's new congestion pricing plan for Manhattan will officially go into effect on June 30, the agency said Friday, though legal and political clashes still threaten to hamper or stop it altogether.
"Five years after the legislature made congestion pricing New York State law, and with 4,000 pages of analysis, hundreds of hearings and outreach meetings behind us, New Yorkers are ready for the benefits — less traffic, cleaner air, safer streets and better transit," MTA chair Janno Lieber said in a statement.
The plan, aimed at easing some of the worst traffic in the nation, will charge passenger cars $15 a day to enter a congestion zone below 61st Street in Manhattan during peak period and $3.75 overnight. Vehicles would only be charged once a day.
Trucks would pay $24 or $36 depending on their size during the peak period and $6 and $8 overnight, respectively.
Taxi fares would increase by $1.25 while rideshares like Uber and Lyft would increase by $2.50. The FDR Drive and the West Side Highway are exempted from the plan, the MTA said.
The plan is intended to raise $1 billion a year towards the MTA’s capital budget.
The agency will be offering a 50 percent discount to low-income vehicles enrolled in the Low-Income Discount Plan but the reduction begins after the first 10 trips in a calendar month, the MTA said.
Similar congestion pricing programs have gone into effect in London, Stockholm, Singapore, and Milan.
The MTA said the new toll will result in 100,000 fewer vehicles entering the congestion zone daily and help relieve crowding. More than 700,000 vehicles enter the area everyday, and New York was found to be the most congested city in the United States, the MTA said.
In 2023, New York had the highest annual traffic volume in 87 years, the MTA said. The agency said 80 percent of leftover money will be used to improve and modernize New York City subways and buses while 10 percent will go toward Long Island Railroad and 10 percent will go toward Metro-North Railroad.
The plan still faces court challenges from small businesses owners and the State of New Jersey.
Sam Barron ✉
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