![]() ![]() “To the fans of congestion in New Jersey who give short shrift to transit improvements their own constituents will benefit from, we say this: Get on board or get out of the way,” said Lisa Daglian, executive director of the MTA’s citizens advisory committee. The plan’s supporters say congestion pricing will reduce gridlock in Manhattan while cutting vehicle emissions in the city, all while funding improvements to MTA infrastructure the agency will otherwise be unable to meet in future years. Josh Gottheimer (D-05), a vocal congestion pricing critic. The MTA is a hot mess and just desperate for cash,” said Rep. The MTA lost $700 million last year alone to people who didn’t pay to ride - fare skippers. “Even Governor Hochul said the congestion tax is just a plan to rescue the MTA from years of billion-dollar budget holes and mismanagement. The policy is meant to fill the MTA’s capital coffers, generating $1 billion in annual revenue, but New Jersey officials have decried the plan, saying it will fund New York City infrastructure out of New Jerseyans’ pockets while offering the Garden State nothing in return. MTA officials expect the policy will cause roughly 110,000 drivers to switch to public transportation, said Janno Lieber, the agency’s chairman and CEO. Gottheimer hits MTA for ‘screwing commuters’ There were 19 such days in 2023, and a commuter without E-ZPass driving into the congestion zone during one of these days would pay as much as $28.13 in congestion tolls.Ī provision of the plan allows the MTA to raise or lower the tolls by 10% within the first year following their enactment.Īs congestion pricing looms, Rep. Those tolls would climb up to 25% higher on high-traffic gridlock alert days set by the New York City Department of Transportation. Commuters without an E-ZPass account would face tolls that are 50% higher: $22.50 for commuter vehicles, and up to $54 for large trucks. The proposal, approved in a 9-1 vote Wednesday, includes some tolls that are steeper than previously reported. “This is a great piece of public policy.” ![]() And I think we’ve achieved that here,” said John Banks, a member of the Traffic Mobility Review Board that drafted the plan. “Over my 35-plus years of involvement in New York City government and politics, I generally have arrived at the conclusion that if everybody is mad at you, you’ve done your job. The period is not expected to upend the policy’s launch late in the spring. The board’s Wednesday vote will launch a 60-day public comment period on the proposal to charge drivers entering the congestion zone $15 per trip, or $24 for small trucks and $36 for larger ones. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has approved steep tolls for drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street as it creeps closer to enacting a congestion tolling plan staunchly opposed by New Jersey officials.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |