State Assemblyman Mike Lawler, from Rockland County, called it "a terrible idea, nothing more than a tax on suburban residents." And at least one MTA board member has previously stated that he plans on opposing the congestion pricing plan, saying the economy is too uncertain at this time. The transit agency said that enacting the plan is the only way to generate the $15 billion needed for a century-old system that requires modern signals.īut not all have been on board. "The value of congestion pricing is clear: Less traffic, reduced pollution and more reliable mass transit for the vast majority of commuters, including those in New Jersey, who take trains and buses to Manhattan," Minton said. MTA Communications Director Tim Minton said that the proposal is "a win for the entire region." He wasn't alone in his praise, as NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said it was necessary to implement congestion pricing in order to "invest in public transit, curb emissions, and reduce traffic, which has roared back to pre-COVID levels." We look forward to receiving public feedback in the weeks ahead," Lieber said. "Bottom line: this is good for the environment, good for public transit and good for New York and the region. MTA Chair and Janno Lieber touted the results of the assessment, saying it would provide "widespread benefits" for hte entire city. The MTA says its controversial congestion pricing plan is hitting the fast lane. There would also be notable increase in MTA bus reliability, and a moderate increase in transit ridership of about one or two percent, the study found. Some areas would actually see a pollution increase, according to the assessment, but none were greater than two percent, with most less than a quarter of a percent jump. For example, Hudson County in New Jersey would see pollution decrease just three percent. There would be benefits for other areas as well, but those showed to be much lower. One infrastructure expert said that the number of trucks on the Cross Bronx Expressway would go up.Īs for environmental impacts, the assessment found that pollution would drop about 11 percent in midtown and lower Manhattan, as well as nearly nine percent in Upper Manhattan. However, the federal review found that traffic might get worse in other boroughs as a result of the plan - a fate that may be hard to imagine for those regularly stuck in traffic in the Bronx, Brooklyn or Queens. It would also reduce congestion in the area, shorten trip times, increase economic productivity and keep energy consumption down, the MTA said. The assessment found that the program would either benefit (or at worst, not hurt) the majority of topics that were looked into, including regional air quality, regional transportation and parking.Īccording to the findings of the assessment, implementing tolls would achieve its main purpose of reducing traffic into the impacted area. The environmental assessment tested seven different possible tolling scenarios, including different toll rates and a variety of exemptions. Manhattan Congestion Pricing: Where Would Be Impacted As Leaders Aim to Restart Plan In virtually all configurations of the plan, "peak" would run from 6 a.m. The MTA released seven different scenarios for the tolling plan, with peak-period toll rates to enter the "Central Business District" below 60th Street of anywhere from $9 to $23, depending on the version implemented. The revenue, estimated at $1 billion annually, would be used to back borrowing for capital improvements to the MTA’s subway and bus systems. Wish the city would do something to combat all the traffic that has returned to the city since the pandemic? That wish may be granted - and could come at a cost to drivers.Ī long-delayed environmental assessment looking into the proposal for congestion pricing in Manhattan was finally released Wednesday morning, with the MTA saying the plan would have quite an impact on the city from economic, environmental and transit perspectives.Īccording to the plan, motorists entering Manhattan below 60th Street would be charged a toll electronically, with the exceptions being the West Side Highway and FDR Drive, which would not be part of the tolling plan.
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