- 70,049
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- Joined
- Aug 1, 2004
Dummy politicians PASSED congestion pricing in NYC &TRUMP is blocking it yay!
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- Apr 4, 2008
I can’t wait for this to pass.
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- Aug 7, 2012
At this point, driving into lower Manhattan has already become impossible so they might as well. Subway better be immaculate afterward though or I'm out.
- 70,049
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- Aug 1, 2004
oh about that...
Census: New Yorkers still fleeing state, population decline spreads to NYC area
Updated Apr 18, 2019; Posted Apr 18, 2019
The Long Island City waterfront and skyline are shown, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, in the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) AP
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- 2018 population estimates are out, and for New York, the state’s trend of population decline is continuing--and spreading.
Upstate New York was previously the focal point of the Empire State’s population loss, but according the Press & Sun Bulletin’s analysis, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Nassau and Westchester Counties saw population loss between July 2017 and July 2018 as well.
Here are some population decline highlights of the latest data:
- From 2010 to 2018, 46 of New York’s 62 counties reported population declines.
- Hamilton County, the least densely populated in NY, lost 47 residents, or 1% of its population last year, to drop to 4,434.
- The Watertown-Fort Drum metropolitan area lost 1.2% of its population last year, placing it among the top 5 declining areas in the country.
- For the second year in a row, Westchester County saw its population shrink by more than 1,000 people.
- Saratoga County added 10,500 people since 2010, and saw an increase of about 20 people per week in the most recent yearly estimates.
- Orange County saw a 0.6% increase of 2,100 new residents between 2017 and 2018.
- If population loss continues, New York could stand to lose up to two congressional seats when they are next reapportioned in 2022, dropping it to 25 members in the House.
- In the state legislature, influence could be shifted further downstate, as Upstate NY population decline continues to outpace downstate decline.
- New York’s public schools, public colleges and community colleges have seen declining enrollment. New York’s public school student body is 2.6 million, the lowest in 30 years, according to the Empire Center.
- 11,957
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The amount of 1 lane streets and pedestrian plazas is crazy. There's always grid lock in midtown during business hours. Even main fares like 8th ave lost a lane.
- 70,049
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- Aug 1, 2004
its designed to make driving as aggravating as possible. environmentalist got they're grubby hands all over this...they want you out of your car and control your movements by forcing you into mass transit...little do they know once New Yorkers get a car, they rather lose a finger than to be forced into that sardine can.
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- Apr 4, 2008
We need to implement da bullet train and other technologies b close down the tunnels. No cars needed.
- 70,049
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- Aug 1, 2004
- 14,244
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- Joined
- Aug 23, 2007
but it works in japan. don't tell me japanese people can do it but america 'da greatest' country on earth cant.suuuuure it worked in California..
edit:
also it didnt work in california because there are people like you who are afraid to theirols ways and are too stubborn to not read the benefits of changing old habits. in addition, you know how many people live in california? that additionally diificult to sway people, california has a lot of lobbying power b
- 11,957
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- Jul 21, 2012
What's a finger when it already cost an arm and a leg to own, park and insure a car in NYC.
- 70,049
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- Aug 1, 2004
if you live within da congestion zone, they're making you pay to go back home...yeah im fullly waitin for this to be knocked down by a swamp of angry voters to da polls.
- 70,049
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- Joined
- Aug 1, 2004
Confused About Congestion Pricing? Here’s What We Know
Drivers will have to pay to enter the heart of Manhattan starting in 2021, but the specifics have yet to be decided.
Image
A congestion zone will be drawn around Manhattan from 60th Street south to the Battery. The fee to enter it will be charged electronically.CreditJustin Lane/EPA, via Shutterstock
By Winnie Hu
You’ve heard the news: New York will be the first American city to impose congestion pricing to alleviate traffic and raise money to modernize its sputtering subway. Drivers will have to pay to enter the heart of Manhattan beginning in 2021.
But other than that, crucial details have yet to be worked out.
The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, which is part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will decide how to enforce congestion pricing after hearing from a yet-to-be-formed panel that will consider public comments and the results of a traffic study.
Adding to the confusion, the plan was pushed through as part of the state budget — identified only as the “Central Business District Tolling Program” — and outlined in eye-glazing legalese that most people will never get through. (We read it for you. You’re welcome.)
It also differs from a version proposed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, as well as from other plans floated over the years.
ADVERTISEMENT
Remind me, how does congestion pricing work?
A congestion zone will be drawn around Manhattan from 60th Street south to the Battery. The fee will be charged electronically, most likely through an expansion of the E-ZPass system used for cashless tolling at bridges and tunnels.
Don’t use E-Z Pass? You’ll still pay — cameras will take photos of license plates.
Passenger vehicles will be charged only once a day, no matter how often they go in and out, but that might not apply to other vehicles, like delivery trucks.
You can avoid paying entirely if you’re simply passing through the zone by staying along the edges on Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive or the West Side Highway.
Congestion Pricing: N.Y. Embraced It. Will Other Clogged Cities Follow?
April 1, 2019
Will I get a discount?
The congestion pricing plan, as outlined in the budget, will apply to nearly everyone. So far, the only two exceptions are for emergency vehicles and vehicles carrying people with disabilities (how those will be identified has not been decided).
ADVERTISEMENT
Still, it is possible that more exemptions or, at the very least, discounts will be added.
The fees will likely not be set until next year, but expect them to be $11 to $14 for cars and around $25 for trucks during prime business hours, and less at night and on weekends, according to traffic experts and state leaders.
The bridge and tunnel authority will decide who pays what, but the jockeying for price breaks is in full swing.
State officials have warned that granting too many discounts will only mean higher fees for everyone else, since the state is counting on congestion pricing to raise $15 billion for public transportation through 2024.
ADVERTISEMENT
But do I have to pay if I … ?
Live inside the zone: Yes. Residents inside the zone will not be charged when they take their car out of the zone, but they will be charged when they return. It does not matter if they are commuting to work, visiting family or just going to dinner.
Cannot afford the toll: Yes. Drivers earning less than $60,000 annually who live inside the zone will get a tax credit. Anyone who lives elsewhere will not.
Drive only in the zone: There has been no talk of charging for driving in the zone from, say, Chelsea to the Financial District. But state officials said the legislation does make that a possibility.
Live in Manhattan, but not in the zone: No, as long as you stay out of the zone. But the fee kicks in whether you drive in from the Hamptons or 61st Street.
ADVERTISEMENT
Go to a doctor’s appointment: Yes. There are no exceptions for medical treatment, though some congestion pricing supporters have called for that.
Drive on the F.D.R., but pull off: Yes. Getting off the F.D.R. or the West Side Highway to drive on any street in the zone will cost you.
Wait, I heard there already are congestion fees?
In February, fees of $2.50 for yellow taxis, and $2.75 for Uber and other ride-hail services, were added to every ride that starts, ends or passes through Manhattan south of 96th Street. A 75-cent fee was added to shared car pools such as Via or UberPool.
Also called congestion fees, those per-ride charges were passed on to passengers (check your receipt), and they are separate from any new fees.
ADVERTISEMENT
It has not been decided who would pay the new congestion tolls during hailed rides.
I pay at a bridge or tunnel. Will I be double tolled?
If you pay at tolled tunnels or bridges coming into Manhattan, you will have to pay again to enter the congestion zone.
But it is possible that you will receive credit toward the congestion fees, though that has not been decided.
The governor’s plan included such a credit when entering the congestion zone through tolled tunnels from New Jersey, Brooklyn and Queens, or when taking the Henry Hudson Bridge from the Bronx to Manhattan.
But that raised questions of why those crossings were chosen when other tolled crossings were not. So state lawmakers decided that the fair thing to do was to start with a blank slate.
ADVERTISEMENT
The bridge and tunnel authority, with input from the expert panel, will come up with “a plan for credits, discounts, and/or exemptions” for drivers who pay bridge and tunnel tolls, and a similar plan for taxis and other for-hire vehicles, according to the legislation.
New York Is Adopting Congestion Pricing. New Jersey Wants Revenge.
April 16, 2019
How soon will it start?
The fees are still more than a year away. Legally, the tolling program cannot begin before Dec. 31, 2020.
The six-member panel is expected to recommend fee amounts between Nov. 15, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020, or no later than 30 days before the tolling program starts. The bridge and tunnel authority will make the final decision.
ADVERTISEMENT
Will my subway ride really get better?
About 80 percent of the revenue from congestion pricing fees will go toward city transit improvements, including new signals on subway lines, at least 150 miles of track work, and thousands of new subway cars and electric buses, according to the transportation authority.
An additional 10 percent will go to each of the two major suburban commuter trains operated by the authority, the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North. It is expected to pay for a significant expansion of the Long Island Rail Road, four new Metro-North stations in the Bronx, hundreds of new electric and diesel rail cars, and scores of locomotives, among other things.
Read more about congestion pricing
The Streets Were Never Free. Congestion Pricing Finally Makes That Plain.
April 4, 2019
Congestion Pricing Could Generate Billions of Dollars, but Now the Suburbs Want a Piece
March 28, 2019
Winnie Hu is a reporter on the Metro desk, focusing on transportation and infrastructure stories. She has also covered education, politics in City Hall and Albany, and the Bronx and upstate New York since joining the Times in 1999. @WinnHu
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/nyregion/what-is-congestion-pricing.amp.html
Drivers will have to pay to enter the heart of Manhattan starting in 2021, but the specifics have yet to be decided.
Image
A congestion zone will be drawn around Manhattan from 60th Street south to the Battery. The fee to enter it will be charged electronically.CreditJustin Lane/EPA, via Shutterstock
By Winnie Hu
- April 24, 2019
You’ve heard the news: New York will be the first American city to impose congestion pricing to alleviate traffic and raise money to modernize its sputtering subway. Drivers will have to pay to enter the heart of Manhattan beginning in 2021.
But other than that, crucial details have yet to be worked out.
The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, which is part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will decide how to enforce congestion pricing after hearing from a yet-to-be-formed panel that will consider public comments and the results of a traffic study.
Adding to the confusion, the plan was pushed through as part of the state budget — identified only as the “Central Business District Tolling Program” — and outlined in eye-glazing legalese that most people will never get through. (We read it for you. You’re welcome.)
It also differs from a version proposed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, as well as from other plans floated over the years.
ADVERTISEMENT
Remind me, how does congestion pricing work?
A congestion zone will be drawn around Manhattan from 60th Street south to the Battery. The fee will be charged electronically, most likely through an expansion of the E-ZPass system used for cashless tolling at bridges and tunnels.
Don’t use E-Z Pass? You’ll still pay — cameras will take photos of license plates.
Passenger vehicles will be charged only once a day, no matter how often they go in and out, but that might not apply to other vehicles, like delivery trucks.
You can avoid paying entirely if you’re simply passing through the zone by staying along the edges on Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive or the West Side Highway.
Congestion Pricing: N.Y. Embraced It. Will Other Clogged Cities Follow?
April 1, 2019
Will I get a discount?
The congestion pricing plan, as outlined in the budget, will apply to nearly everyone. So far, the only two exceptions are for emergency vehicles and vehicles carrying people with disabilities (how those will be identified has not been decided).
ADVERTISEMENT
Still, it is possible that more exemptions or, at the very least, discounts will be added.
The fees will likely not be set until next year, but expect them to be $11 to $14 for cars and around $25 for trucks during prime business hours, and less at night and on weekends, according to traffic experts and state leaders.
The bridge and tunnel authority will decide who pays what, but the jockeying for price breaks is in full swing.
State officials have warned that granting too many discounts will only mean higher fees for everyone else, since the state is counting on congestion pricing to raise $15 billion for public transportation through 2024.
ADVERTISEMENT
But do I have to pay if I … ?
Live inside the zone: Yes. Residents inside the zone will not be charged when they take their car out of the zone, but they will be charged when they return. It does not matter if they are commuting to work, visiting family or just going to dinner.
Cannot afford the toll: Yes. Drivers earning less than $60,000 annually who live inside the zone will get a tax credit. Anyone who lives elsewhere will not.
Drive only in the zone: There has been no talk of charging for driving in the zone from, say, Chelsea to the Financial District. But state officials said the legislation does make that a possibility.
Live in Manhattan, but not in the zone: No, as long as you stay out of the zone. But the fee kicks in whether you drive in from the Hamptons or 61st Street.
ADVERTISEMENT
Go to a doctor’s appointment: Yes. There are no exceptions for medical treatment, though some congestion pricing supporters have called for that.
Drive on the F.D.R., but pull off: Yes. Getting off the F.D.R. or the West Side Highway to drive on any street in the zone will cost you.
Wait, I heard there already are congestion fees?
In February, fees of $2.50 for yellow taxis, and $2.75 for Uber and other ride-hail services, were added to every ride that starts, ends or passes through Manhattan south of 96th Street. A 75-cent fee was added to shared car pools such as Via or UberPool.
Also called congestion fees, those per-ride charges were passed on to passengers (check your receipt), and they are separate from any new fees.
ADVERTISEMENT
It has not been decided who would pay the new congestion tolls during hailed rides.
I pay at a bridge or tunnel. Will I be double tolled?
If you pay at tolled tunnels or bridges coming into Manhattan, you will have to pay again to enter the congestion zone.
But it is possible that you will receive credit toward the congestion fees, though that has not been decided.
The governor’s plan included such a credit when entering the congestion zone through tolled tunnels from New Jersey, Brooklyn and Queens, or when taking the Henry Hudson Bridge from the Bronx to Manhattan.
But that raised questions of why those crossings were chosen when other tolled crossings were not. So state lawmakers decided that the fair thing to do was to start with a blank slate.
ADVERTISEMENT
The bridge and tunnel authority, with input from the expert panel, will come up with “a plan for credits, discounts, and/or exemptions” for drivers who pay bridge and tunnel tolls, and a similar plan for taxis and other for-hire vehicles, according to the legislation.
New York Is Adopting Congestion Pricing. New Jersey Wants Revenge.
April 16, 2019
How soon will it start?
The fees are still more than a year away. Legally, the tolling program cannot begin before Dec. 31, 2020.
The six-member panel is expected to recommend fee amounts between Nov. 15, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020, or no later than 30 days before the tolling program starts. The bridge and tunnel authority will make the final decision.
ADVERTISEMENT
Will my subway ride really get better?
About 80 percent of the revenue from congestion pricing fees will go toward city transit improvements, including new signals on subway lines, at least 150 miles of track work, and thousands of new subway cars and electric buses, according to the transportation authority.
An additional 10 percent will go to each of the two major suburban commuter trains operated by the authority, the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North. It is expected to pay for a significant expansion of the Long Island Rail Road, four new Metro-North stations in the Bronx, hundreds of new electric and diesel rail cars, and scores of locomotives, among other things.
Read more about congestion pricing
The Streets Were Never Free. Congestion Pricing Finally Makes That Plain.
April 4, 2019
Congestion Pricing Could Generate Billions of Dollars, but Now the Suburbs Want a Piece
March 28, 2019
Winnie Hu is a reporter on the Metro desk, focusing on transportation and infrastructure stories. She has also covered education, politics in City Hall and Albany, and the Bronx and upstate New York since joining the Times in 1999. @WinnHu
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/nyregion/what-is-congestion-pricing.amp.html
- 70,049
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- Joined
- Aug 1, 2004
Drivers crossing George Washington Bridge won’t be ‘double taxed’ by congestion pricing: sources
HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Sources confirm NJ Gov. Phil Murphy is set to announce a deal that will prevent Jersey drivers from getting “double-taxed” by congestion pricing.
There was concern that drivers crossing at the George Washington Bridge would have to pay the $12.50 EZpass fee ($15.00 cash) and have to pay when they cross into the congestion pricing zone below 60th street.
The congestion pricing fee has yet to be determined, and tolling will not start until 2021.
Murphy has struck “a deal in principle” with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to use electronic tracking to toll drivers crossing the GWB in the same way that drivers using the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels would be treated.
Drivers using those access points directly into the zone will have the congestion pricing fee deducted directly from their tolls.
But MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick Foye said a deal has not been reached.
“With all due respect to Governor Murphy, we have no idea what he is talking about," Foye said. "No agreement has been reached with New Jersey or anyone else on credits, exemptions or carveouts because the MTA will determine the Central Business District tolls and other terms once the Traffic Mobility Review Board has made its recommendations and traffic and congestion analyses are completed.”
- Henry Rosoff
- 20 hours ago
HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Sources confirm NJ Gov. Phil Murphy is set to announce a deal that will prevent Jersey drivers from getting “double-taxed” by congestion pricing.
There was concern that drivers crossing at the George Washington Bridge would have to pay the $12.50 EZpass fee ($15.00 cash) and have to pay when they cross into the congestion pricing zone below 60th street.
The congestion pricing fee has yet to be determined, and tolling will not start until 2021.
Murphy has struck “a deal in principle” with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to use electronic tracking to toll drivers crossing the GWB in the same way that drivers using the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels would be treated.
Drivers using those access points directly into the zone will have the congestion pricing fee deducted directly from their tolls.
But MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick Foye said a deal has not been reached.
“With all due respect to Governor Murphy, we have no idea what he is talking about," Foye said. "No agreement has been reached with New Jersey or anyone else on credits, exemptions or carveouts because the MTA will determine the Central Business District tolls and other terms once the Traffic Mobility Review Board has made its recommendations and traffic and congestion analyses are completed.”
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- Nov 25, 2003
Lol brooklyn baby 
- 70,049
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- Aug 1, 2004
Lol brooklyn baby
i feel bad for that one exit on da FDR to go to Brooklyn, its gonna be slammed.
- 70,049
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- Aug 1, 2004
OPINION
EDITORIAL
Don’t expect Manhattan tolls to ease traffic or fix the subways
By Post Editorial Board
April 18, 2019 | 8:18pm | Updated
EPA
“Congestion pricing” is supposed to ease traffic and raise enough funds to fix the subways, but it’s becoming increasingly clear: It’ll do neither.
Take, for example, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement Wednesday that he and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy will set up cashless tolls on the Hudson River crossings. That’ll pave the way for discounts, i.e., less cash for MTA subway fixes and fewer motorists deterred from driving.
Or take Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz’s tweet that he was promised“a full rebate for the Henry Hudson Bridge toll for all Bronx residents” in exchange for his congestion-pricing vote. Again, that’s less toll revenue for the MTA and fewer drivers looking to avoid Manhattan streets.
In Jersey, pols threaten to cut federal funds to New York if the Garden State isn’t treated well. They want toll money to go to NJ Transit and the PATH. Yet under the deal Albany struck, 20 percent already will go to the LIRR and MetroNorth.
And the list of special-pleaders seeking exemptions is never-ending: the Police Benevolent Association, taxi drivers, truckers, commuters from the outer boroughs . . .
Any new exemptions would be on top of those already baked into the plan — for drivers on the West Side Highway and FDR, emergency vehicles and the disabled, for instance. Residents below 60th Street who make less than $60,000 also get a tax credit.
Wednesday, Cuomo said the MTA still has to work out tolling rates, to ensure fairness and efficient traffic patterns. You can be sure those with the least political pull will suffer most. Even as the streets remain clogged and the subway broke. And broken.
https://nypost.com/2019/04/18/dont-expect-manhattan-tolls-to-ease-traffic-or-fix-the-subways/
EDITORIAL
Don’t expect Manhattan tolls to ease traffic or fix the subways
By Post Editorial Board
April 18, 2019 | 8:18pm | Updated
EPA
“Congestion pricing” is supposed to ease traffic and raise enough funds to fix the subways, but it’s becoming increasingly clear: It’ll do neither.
Take, for example, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement Wednesday that he and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy will set up cashless tolls on the Hudson River crossings. That’ll pave the way for discounts, i.e., less cash for MTA subway fixes and fewer motorists deterred from driving.
Or take Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz’s tweet that he was promised“a full rebate for the Henry Hudson Bridge toll for all Bronx residents” in exchange for his congestion-pricing vote. Again, that’s less toll revenue for the MTA and fewer drivers looking to avoid Manhattan streets.
In Jersey, pols threaten to cut federal funds to New York if the Garden State isn’t treated well. They want toll money to go to NJ Transit and the PATH. Yet under the deal Albany struck, 20 percent already will go to the LIRR and MetroNorth.
And the list of special-pleaders seeking exemptions is never-ending: the Police Benevolent Association, taxi drivers, truckers, commuters from the outer boroughs . . .
Any new exemptions would be on top of those already baked into the plan — for drivers on the West Side Highway and FDR, emergency vehicles and the disabled, for instance. Residents below 60th Street who make less than $60,000 also get a tax credit.
Wednesday, Cuomo said the MTA still has to work out tolling rates, to ensure fairness and efficient traffic patterns. You can be sure those with the least political pull will suffer most. Even as the streets remain clogged and the subway broke. And broken.
https://nypost.com/2019/04/18/dont-expect-manhattan-tolls-to-ease-traffic-or-fix-the-subways/
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- Jul 20, 2017
Stupid as ****
- 8,818
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- Mar 6, 2004
Correct me if im wrong, but is Uber/Lyft coming up?
Congestion pricing only charges your plates once a day. But if you use their service and cross south of 60th the app automatically charges u the congestion fee .
Congestion pricing only charges your plates once a day. But if you use their service and cross south of 60th the app automatically charges u the congestion fee .
- 70,049
- 24,221
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2004
that's south of 96 street.
- 70,049
- 24,221
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2004
- 70,049
- 24,221
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2004
- 5,377
- 4,431
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2013
rosanna scotto looking good
- 70,049
- 24,221
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- Aug 1, 2004
always since da 90's.
- 70,049
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- Aug 1, 2004
Lawmakers call for exemptions from NYC’s controversial congestion pricing plan
By Shant Shahrigian
July 6, 2019 | 9:32pm
A new congestion pricing plan would charge drivers for entering certain areas, but not everyone is on board.JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/REX
It could be death by a thousand cuts for Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio’s congestion-pricing plan.
Lawmakers throughout the city are calling for all kinds of exemptions to the surcharge, which is expected to be $11 to $12 for cars driving between 60th Street and The Battery.
The plan passed as part of the state budget in the spring, but lawmakers kicked the can down the road to finalize the details.
–– ADVERTISEMENT ––
That is giving opponents plenty of opportunities to weaken the plan, with Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Queens) leading the charge.
“My constituents who drive into Manhattan are not wealthy people,” he told The Post. “I know the governor seems to say at any number of events it’s only wealthy people who drive into Manhattan, but that’s not really true.”
Weprin’s solution? Exempt all New York City residents from the surcharge. Failing that, he would push for exemptions for the elderly and for low-income drivers.
“I’d like to see as many people as possible exempted,” the assemblyman said.
Both Cuomo and de Blasio pushed for congestion pricing, with the governor stating in February, “Congestion pricing is the only logical and realistic option to fund the MTA’s capital needs.”
The plan passed at the end of March with several exemptions already built in. Residents of the “congestion zone” making less than $60,000 a year are exempt, as are emergency vehicles and vehicles carrying people with disabilities.
Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz (D-Bronx) made a deal reducing the pain of the congestion surcharge for his constituents. He got the state to drop the $7 toll on the Henry Hudson Bridge for all Bronxites, though they’ll still face the congestion fee once they reach 60th Street.
Assemblyman David Weprin spoke out against congestion pricing in March.Daniel William McKnight
Rep. Max Rose and Staten Island Borough President James Oddo urged Cuomo to remove the congestion surcharge for Staten Islanders who drive over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch is demanding an exemption for police officers taking civilian vehicles into the city, writing in a recent op-ed that cops “require the greatest possible flexibility to get to work.”
Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D-Brooklyn) has proposed several exemptions, including ones for electric vehicles and for motorcycle drivers.
Advertisement
In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy is pushing for exemptions for drivers using the Lincoln and Holland tunnels and the George Washington Bridge.
Cuomo’s office referred a request for comment to the MTA, which stated that a special panel “will review any/all potential exemptions and make their recommendations.” The six-member panel, to be appointed by the authority, will determine the exact price of the surcharge, with the goal of raising at least $15 billion for the MTA’s 2020-2024 capital plan.
De Blasio’s office echoed the MTA’s statement.
Reclaim New York, a conservative watchdog group, is organizing a coalition of small-business owners, truckers and members of trades to fight the congestion pricing. Reclaim spokesman Jadan Horyn slammed the special panel charged with finalizing congestion pricing.
“Due to the ambiguity around this unelected commission, we do not know who or how lobbying will take place in order to ensure that these carve-outs . . . will be done,” Horyn said.
Reclaim is pushing for a full repeal of congestion pricing.
But they’ll face fierce opposition from a range of advocacy groups dedicated to fixing the subways.
“Every exemption that’s added is an increase in tolls for drivers and chips away at what we need to raise in accomplishing our goal in fixing the subways,” said Jaqi Cohen, campaign coordinator of NYPIRG’s Straphangers Campaign.
https://nypost.com/2019/07/06/lawma...cs-controversial-congestion-pricing-plan/amp/
By Shant Shahrigian
July 6, 2019 | 9:32pm
A new congestion pricing plan would charge drivers for entering certain areas, but not everyone is on board.JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/REX
It could be death by a thousand cuts for Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio’s congestion-pricing plan.
Lawmakers throughout the city are calling for all kinds of exemptions to the surcharge, which is expected to be $11 to $12 for cars driving between 60th Street and The Battery.
The plan passed as part of the state budget in the spring, but lawmakers kicked the can down the road to finalize the details.
–– ADVERTISEMENT ––
That is giving opponents plenty of opportunities to weaken the plan, with Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Queens) leading the charge.
“My constituents who drive into Manhattan are not wealthy people,” he told The Post. “I know the governor seems to say at any number of events it’s only wealthy people who drive into Manhattan, but that’s not really true.”
Weprin’s solution? Exempt all New York City residents from the surcharge. Failing that, he would push for exemptions for the elderly and for low-income drivers.
“I’d like to see as many people as possible exempted,” the assemblyman said.
Both Cuomo and de Blasio pushed for congestion pricing, with the governor stating in February, “Congestion pricing is the only logical and realistic option to fund the MTA’s capital needs.”
The plan passed at the end of March with several exemptions already built in. Residents of the “congestion zone” making less than $60,000 a year are exempt, as are emergency vehicles and vehicles carrying people with disabilities.
Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz (D-Bronx) made a deal reducing the pain of the congestion surcharge for his constituents. He got the state to drop the $7 toll on the Henry Hudson Bridge for all Bronxites, though they’ll still face the congestion fee once they reach 60th Street.
Assemblyman David Weprin spoke out against congestion pricing in March.Daniel William McKnight
Rep. Max Rose and Staten Island Borough President James Oddo urged Cuomo to remove the congestion surcharge for Staten Islanders who drive over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch is demanding an exemption for police officers taking civilian vehicles into the city, writing in a recent op-ed that cops “require the greatest possible flexibility to get to work.”
Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D-Brooklyn) has proposed several exemptions, including ones for electric vehicles and for motorcycle drivers.
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In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy is pushing for exemptions for drivers using the Lincoln and Holland tunnels and the George Washington Bridge.
Cuomo’s office referred a request for comment to the MTA, which stated that a special panel “will review any/all potential exemptions and make their recommendations.” The six-member panel, to be appointed by the authority, will determine the exact price of the surcharge, with the goal of raising at least $15 billion for the MTA’s 2020-2024 capital plan.
De Blasio’s office echoed the MTA’s statement.
Reclaim New York, a conservative watchdog group, is organizing a coalition of small-business owners, truckers and members of trades to fight the congestion pricing. Reclaim spokesman Jadan Horyn slammed the special panel charged with finalizing congestion pricing.
“Due to the ambiguity around this unelected commission, we do not know who or how lobbying will take place in order to ensure that these carve-outs . . . will be done,” Horyn said.
Reclaim is pushing for a full repeal of congestion pricing.
But they’ll face fierce opposition from a range of advocacy groups dedicated to fixing the subways.
“Every exemption that’s added is an increase in tolls for drivers and chips away at what we need to raise in accomplishing our goal in fixing the subways,” said Jaqi Cohen, campaign coordinator of NYPIRG’s Straphangers Campaign.
https://nypost.com/2019/07/06/lawma...cs-controversial-congestion-pricing-plan/amp/
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New York City Congestion Pricing Waits for Federal Approval
By Paul Berger
5-6 minutes
The state’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority must obtain permission from the Federal Highway Administration before it can begin final design and construction of the tolling infrastructure needed to charge vehicles entering Manhattan’s central business district. With about one year to go before tolling is expected to start, the MTA hasn’t received approval from the federal agency.
Federal highway officials have the power to stop the congestion fee. But some MTA officials believe a more realistic concern is that the federal government’s pace could delay implementation of the charge, said one person familiar with the project.
Typically, the MTA releases a timeline for major projects. But it isn’t known when federal approval is expected, and the MTA hasn’t said when it expects to install the tolling system.
The expected annual revenues of more than $1 billion from the congestion plan are planned to be used to borrow $15 billion to pay for subway, bus and commuter rail upgrades included in the authority’s current five-year spending plan. Tolls could begin as soon as Jan. 1, 2021.
An MTA spokeswoman said the project was on schedule. “The MTA has an ongoing dialogue with the federal government and has been responsive to all requests for information on the program,” she said.
The MTA needs federal approval for the program because many roads in the planned congestion zone have received federal funds or are considered part of the national highway system.
According to federal law, roads built with federal assistance can’t be tolled. But federal highway officials can approve tolling under conditions such as a congestion-reduction program, which is typically when stretches of highway are tolled to discourage traffic.
A Federal Highway Administration spokesman said the agency would conduct an environmental review of the New York project before it approves the plan. Factors such as traffic volumes, congestion levels and community impacts will be examined.
“It would be premature to speculate on when a decision on the environmental review would be issued,” he said.
Pat Jones, executive director of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, based in Washington, D.C., said the Federal Highway Administration has been helpful with congestion-reduction programs around the U.S. and wants to see them succeed. But as with any government agency, it can sometimes move slowly.
The Trump administration has delayed another major infrastructure project affecting New York. The U.S. Department of Transportation has stalled progress on the Gateway Program to double rail links between New Jersey and Manhattan.
An environmental review of the tunnel portion of the project is pending after almost two years. Mr. Trump has complained about the state not paying enough into the program and his administration has said it isn’t a high transportation priority.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in a Saturday interview, said he isn’t concerned about the administration deliberately holding up congestion pricing.
Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, said there is a political motivation to stalling projects like Gateway because Mr. Trump, a Republican, can redirect federal funds elsewhere. Congestion pricing doesn’t require federal funding.
“Where is the political benefit in stopping congestion pricing?” Mr. Cuomo said. “I don’t see a benefit for him.”
New York’s congestion-pricing zone will cover most of Manhattan south of 60th Street. MTA officials expect to use a tolling method similar to the E-ZPass system familiar to motorists in the region. They have said cameras and sensors likely would be mounted on mast arms and poles that blend with the cityscape.
The congestion-pricing program was authorized in the spring of 2019 as part of the state budget. In October, the MTA awarded a $500 million contract to a Nashville, Tenn., firm, TransCore, to design, build, operate and maintain the system.
Advocacy groups and elected officials have criticized the MTA for a lack of transparency in setting up congestion pricing. The MTA hasn’t named a panel that will set tolls, which are expected to be $11.50 or higher. The authority has also been vague about when tolling will begin, citing only a target of 2021.
—Jimmy Vielkind
and Ted Mann
contributed to this article.
Write to Paul Berger at Paul.Berger@wsj.com
Corrections & Amplifications
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a Saturday, Feb. 8, interview that he isn’t concerned about the administration deliberately holding up congestion pricing. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated it was a Feb. 7 interview.
New York City Congestion Pricing Waits for Federal Approval
By Paul Berger
5-6 minutes
The state’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority must obtain permission from the Federal Highway Administration before it can begin final design and construction of the tolling infrastructure needed to charge vehicles entering Manhattan’s central business district. With about one year to go before tolling is expected to start, the MTA hasn’t received approval from the federal agency.
Federal highway officials have the power to stop the congestion fee. But some MTA officials believe a more realistic concern is that the federal government’s pace could delay implementation of the charge, said one person familiar with the project.
Typically, the MTA releases a timeline for major projects. But it isn’t known when federal approval is expected, and the MTA hasn’t said when it expects to install the tolling system.
The expected annual revenues of more than $1 billion from the congestion plan are planned to be used to borrow $15 billion to pay for subway, bus and commuter rail upgrades included in the authority’s current five-year spending plan. Tolls could begin as soon as Jan. 1, 2021.
An MTA spokeswoman said the project was on schedule. “The MTA has an ongoing dialogue with the federal government and has been responsive to all requests for information on the program,” she said.
The MTA needs federal approval for the program because many roads in the planned congestion zone have received federal funds or are considered part of the national highway system.
According to federal law, roads built with federal assistance can’t be tolled. But federal highway officials can approve tolling under conditions such as a congestion-reduction program, which is typically when stretches of highway are tolled to discourage traffic.
A Federal Highway Administration spokesman said the agency would conduct an environmental review of the New York project before it approves the plan. Factors such as traffic volumes, congestion levels and community impacts will be examined.
“It would be premature to speculate on when a decision on the environmental review would be issued,” he said.
Pat Jones, executive director of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, based in Washington, D.C., said the Federal Highway Administration has been helpful with congestion-reduction programs around the U.S. and wants to see them succeed. But as with any government agency, it can sometimes move slowly.
The Trump administration has delayed another major infrastructure project affecting New York. The U.S. Department of Transportation has stalled progress on the Gateway Program to double rail links between New Jersey and Manhattan.
An environmental review of the tunnel portion of the project is pending after almost two years. Mr. Trump has complained about the state not paying enough into the program and his administration has said it isn’t a high transportation priority.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in a Saturday interview, said he isn’t concerned about the administration deliberately holding up congestion pricing.
Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, said there is a political motivation to stalling projects like Gateway because Mr. Trump, a Republican, can redirect federal funds elsewhere. Congestion pricing doesn’t require federal funding.
“Where is the political benefit in stopping congestion pricing?” Mr. Cuomo said. “I don’t see a benefit for him.”
New York’s congestion-pricing zone will cover most of Manhattan south of 60th Street. MTA officials expect to use a tolling method similar to the E-ZPass system familiar to motorists in the region. They have said cameras and sensors likely would be mounted on mast arms and poles that blend with the cityscape.
The congestion-pricing program was authorized in the spring of 2019 as part of the state budget. In October, the MTA awarded a $500 million contract to a Nashville, Tenn., firm, TransCore, to design, build, operate and maintain the system.
Advocacy groups and elected officials have criticized the MTA for a lack of transparency in setting up congestion pricing. The MTA hasn’t named a panel that will set tolls, which are expected to be $11.50 or higher. The authority has also been vague about when tolling will begin, citing only a target of 2021.
—Jimmy Vielkind
and Ted Mann
contributed to this article.
Write to Paul Berger at Paul.Berger@wsj.com
Corrections & Amplifications
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a Saturday, Feb. 8, interview that he isn’t concerned about the administration deliberately holding up congestion pricing. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated it was a Feb. 7 interview.
