International Courant
New York’s new toll on motorists getting into downtown Manhattan went into impact Sunday, which means many individuals can pay $9 throughout rush hours to entry the busiest a part of the Massive Apple.
The toll, often called a congestion cost, is geared toward easing site visitors congestion within the densely populated metropolis whereas elevating cash to assist restore ailing public transport infrastructure.
“Now we have been finding out this difficulty for 5 years. And when you’re in downtown Manhattan, it solely takes about 5 minutes to see that New York has an actual site visitors downside,” Janno Lieber, chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, informed reporters late Friday. after a court docket listening to that cleared the best way for the toll.
“We have to make it simpler for individuals who select to drive, or who must drive, to get across the metropolis.”
Driver charges rely upon what time it’s and whether or not drivers have an E-ZPass, an digital toll assortment system utilized in many states.
Most drivers with an E-ZPass should 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. Outdoors enterprise hours the toll is $2.25.
That is along with the tolls drivers pay for crossing varied bridges and tunnels to succeed in the town, though there can be a credit score of as much as $3 for many who have already paid to enter Manhattan via sure tunnels throughout rush hours.
On Sunday morning, hours after the toll went into impact, site visitors flowed rapidly alongside the northern fringe of the congestion zone at sixtieth Avenue and 2nd Avenue. Some motorists appeared unaware that the newly activated cameras, positioned alongside the arm of a metal gantry above the road, would cost them a $9 price.
“Are you kidding me?” mentioned Chris Smith, a resident of Somerville, New Jersey, as he drove towards site visitors underneath the cameras and averted costs. ‘Whose concept was this? Kathy Hochul? She needs to be arrested for ignorance.”
Phil Bauer, a surgeon who lives simply above sixtieth Avenue, mentioned he hoped this system would scale back the bottlenecks and frequent honking that comes from the close by bridge connecting Manhattan to Queens.
“I feel it will be a good suggestion to attempt to maintain the quantity of site visitors to a minimal and encourage individuals to make use of public transport,” he mentioned. “The Queensboro Bridge is fairly brutal.”
President-elect Donald Trump, a Republican, has vowed to finish this system when he takes workplace, however it’s unclear whether or not he’ll comply with via. The plan had stalled throughout his first time period whereas awaiting a federal environmental overview.
In November, Trump, whose namesake Trump Tower is within the toll zone, mentioned congestion pricing “will put New York Metropolis at a drawback in comparison with competing cities and states, and companies will flee.”
“Not solely is that this an enormous burden on individuals coming in, additionally it is extraordinarily inconvenient for each motorists and private reserving requirements,” he mentioned in an announcement. “Will probably be just about not possible for New York Metropolis to return again so long as the congestion tax is in impact.”
Different main cities around the globe, together with London and Stockholm, have related congestion charging techniques, however it’s the first within the US. Proponents of the thought notice that the applications have been largely unpopular when first applied and gained approval as the general public felt the advantages.
In New York Metropolis, even some transit riders expressed skepticism a few plan supposed to lift much-needed funds for the subway system.
“With my expertise with the MTA and what they’ve allotted their cash to up to now, they’ve achieved a reasonably poor job there,” mentioned Christakis Charalambides, a trend business supervisor, as he waited for a subway in Decrease Manhattan. “I do not know if I essentially consider it till I really see one thing.”
The toll was set to take impact final 12 months with a $15 levy, however Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul abruptly halted this system earlier than the 2024 elections, as congressional races in suburban areas across the metropolis — the epicenter of opposition to this system — grew to become thought-about. important to her celebration’s efforts to regain management of Congress.
Not lengthy after the election, Hochul restarted the plan, however on the cheaper price of $9. She denies there have been politics at play and mentioned she thought the unique $15 was an excessive amount of, though she has been a vocal supporter of this system had been earlier than she stopped it.
Congestion pricing additionally survived a number of lawsuits that attempted to dam this system, together with a last-ditch effort by the state of New Jersey to have a decide quickly put up a roadblock towards it. A spokesperson for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy Natalie Hamilton mentioned in an e mail Saturday that they “will proceed to combat this unfair and unpopular plan.”
Driving into Manhattan? That may price you, as a result of the brand new congestion toll comes into impact on Sunday
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