NYC’s plan to ease gridlock and pump billions into mass transit? A $15 toll for Manhattan drivers
Between bridge and tunnel tolls and parking fees, it can already cost a mint to drive a car into Manhattan
NEW YORK — Between bridge and tunnel tolls, parking fees and the ever-present risk of getting a traffic ticket, it can already cost a mint to drive into Manhattan.
Is forking over another $15 for the privilege of driving into the most traffic-choked parts of the island enough to finally get more people out of their cars and onto mass transit?
That's the hope, at least among some New York officials.
The Big Apple is close to implementing a plan that would use license-plate readers to turn all of Manhattan south of Central Park into one giant toll zone.
Most drivers in private cars would pay a congestion fee of at least $15, or $22.50 if they aren't enrolled in a regional toll collection program. That would come on top of the already hefty tolls to enter the city via some river crossings, like the $13.38 to $17.63 it costs to take a car through the Lincoln or Holland tunnels.
That price tag, it’s hoped, will lead to fewer traffic jams, reduce air pollution and provide a desperately needed annual cash infusion of around $1 billion for the city’s subway and bus systems, which carry some 4 million riders daily.
If the plan is finalized, New York would become the first U.S. city to join a handful globally with similar congestion pricing schemes, including London, Stockholm, Milan and Singapore, which is credited with pioneering the first such program in 1975.
But the lofty plan, which is aiming for a summer launch, still faces roadblocks and questions about whether it's worth it.
Public school teachers are among those expected to plead for an exemption at a series of public hearings that kick off Thursday.
Manhattan
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