NEW YORK (PIX11) – A new report from The New York Times on Wednesday revealed New York City’s plan for congestion pricing.
Car and SUV drivers would be charged $15 once a day to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. Truck drivers would pay $24 or $36, depending on the size. Motorcyclists would pay $7.50, according to the report.
The FDR Drive, West Side Highway and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel would be exempt from congestion pricing.
Taxis and rideshares would also be exempt, but a surcharge would be passed on to customers. Commuter buses would also be exempt, the report said.
Low-income New Yorkers would get half-off congestion pricing, according to the report, but only after their first 10 trips each month. Drivers between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., would get a 75% discount.
Local lawmakers weighed in on the report Wednesday night, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
“As a conceptual matter, I support congestion pricing, as long as it is structured in a way that is fair to all sides. This plan is neither fair nor equitable,” he said.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) was also critical of the plan outlined in the report.
“As advertised, New York is officially sticking it to Jersey families with their commuter-crushing Congestion Tax. On top of the existing tolls, it’ll be 15 bucks every day to go into the city with no discounts at the GW Bridge — thousands of dollars a year just to drive to work,” he said.
The Traffic Mobility Review Board, the advisory panel that wrote the report, told The New York Times that the congestion pricing plan is a “huge step forward.”
Among those applauding the plan are groups like the Congestion Pricing Now Coalition.
“New York’s residents and workers deserve better transit, less traffic, and cleaner air. The TMRB’s recommendations will ensure that congestion pricing will achieve these goals,” the organization said in a statement.
The MTA will oversee the program, and could still make some tweaks to the rates. The plan still has to be approved by the board, and Murphy said that New Jersey plans to continue its legal action against it.
The MTA was expected to release the plan on Thursday.
When combining the Hudson River tolls with an EZ pass discount and congestion pricing, some drivers could be paying more than $7,700 annually to take the George Washington Bridge. Drivers who use the Lincoln and Holland tunnels would possibly pay just under $6,500.
