I mean, New York state just wants to control New York City too often,” Adams said, calling for more exemptions of who would have to pay the tolls. New York Mayor Eric Adams, who assumed office after the state legislation passed, complained last year that the process was driven by Albany politicians. Locally, the proposal has also irked several prominent politicians. The Biden administration, though, quickly reversed course and told New York leaders it would prioritize the review process. The Trump administration dragged its feet on the environmental review on congestion pricing, refusing to even tell MTA leaders what it needed for the approval process. The plan needed federal approval, though, which became an issue because then-President Donald Trump had been feuding with New York area leaders on a host of issues and held up infrastructure improvements as part of the disputes. They settled on congestion pricing in 2019. Suburban and outer borough lawmakers effectively killed the idea behind closed doors, amid concerns that it would disproportionately help rich residents of Manhattan.Ī decade later, though, state leaders scrambled to find ways to shore up the finances of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the city’s subways and buses. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg first floated the idea in 2007, but it never got the necessary state approval in Albany. The traffic in the heart of the city is legendary, and geography-the fact that Manhattan is an island with only a few crossings in most directions-makes the logistics relatively straightforward.īut it’s been a tough sell politically. She said state and local officials could offset some of the increased pollution from heavy vehicles by rapidly replacing buses running on fossil fuels with electric-powered buses.Įlected officials and advocates have tossed around the idea of imposing tolls on Manhattan-bound drivers for decades. There are potential downsides, though, that Taylor said New York area officials should plan for, such as increased truck traffic in neighborhoods outside the cordoned zone as truckers avoid the new tolls. In other cities that have used congestion pricing, the amount of traffic immediately outside the tolled zone decreased as well, she said, because people opted to use different modes of transportation for their entire trip. “You should also see faster travel times for folks who have to drive, or maybe faster travel times for emergency vehicles or even freight delivery.” “You should see more folks using public transportation and bike share, walking and maybe even using their own bicycles,” she said. Tiffany-Ann Taylor, vice president for transportation at the Regional Plan Association (RPA), said the effects on downtown streets should be quick to see once the tolling plan is put into place, even if it takes a few years for physical improvements to the subway system to take shape. “Our shared vision for congestion pricing will reduce traffic, improve air quality and raise critical funding for our subways and buses,” Benson said in a statement. Nick Benson, a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Transportation, called the federal approval “a significant step forward.” city to use congestion pricing, although internationally, cities such as London, Singapore and Stockholm have used such tolling zones for years. If it goes into effect, New York would be the first U.S. They will also determine who should be exempt from paying the tolls. Tolls are expected to be between $9 and $23 per vehicle, but local officials have not yet decided the rate. The cordoned-off area would include all of Manhattan south of 60th Street. Department of Transportation signed off on the environmental reviews for the plan late Friday, removing one of the biggest procedural hurdles for state and local officials to roll out the tolls by 2024. New York City received a long-sought approval from the federal government to begin tolling drivers who clog Manhattan streets, in a “congestion pricing” scheme that could generate $1 billion a year for its beleaguered subway system.
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