New York launches first-ever congestion pricing plan in US
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New York: A groundbreaking congestion pricing plan for Lower and Midtown Manhattan took effect on Sunday, making New York City the first city in the U.S. to implement such a system.
The plan, initiated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), imposes tolls on vehicles entering the designated congestion relief zone. The toll amounts will vary based on factors such as vehicle type, time of day, crossing credits, and payment method. Discounts and exemptions will apply to certain drivers or vehicles.
Passenger vehicles, small commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, and motorcycles will be charged once per day for entering the zone, while passengers of taxis and for-hire vehicles will incur charges for each trip within, to, or from the congestion relief zone.
In a bid to increase the plan’s effectiveness, the toll rates will be adjusted in 2028 and 2031, with 40 percent of the initial discounts phased out.
The congestion pricing plan is expected to reduce vehicle entries into the zone by 10 percent and decrease vehicle miles traveled in the area by 5 percent. Additionally, the MTA anticipates generating $1 billion in annual revenue to support its capital spending plan, which could amount to as much as $15 billion.
Despite facing significant opposition, including multiple lawsuits in New York and New Jersey, the plan was not blocked and moved forward. The idea of congestion pricing first gained traction in New York in 2007, when former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg introduced a similar initiative, though it failed to pass the State Legislature. A decade later, in response to subway service challenges, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo revived the proposal, and it was approved as part of the state budget in 2019.
Just before its scheduled implementation in June, Governor Kathy Hochul postponed the plan, citing concerns that the tolls could negatively affect the city’s economy. Critics also argued that the proposal, which was largely unpopular according to public opinion polls, could harm Democratic candidates in the upcoming November elections.
With IANS inputs