Traffic heading into Manhattan from the Queensboro Bridge (Google Maps)
March 30, 2021 By Allie Griffin
New York City’s long-delayed plan to charge drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street is a step closer to becoming a reality.
The Biden administration notified city and state officials Tuesday that they can move forward in conducting an environmental review of the congestion pricing plan– which is required before the proposal can go into effect.
The Federal Highway Administration advised local officials that they could undertake an “environmental assessment” of the plan as opposed to a longer “environmental impact statement.”
An environmental assessment generally requires less time to complete and is less rigorous than an environmental impact statement, unless significant impacts are identified.
The plan to toll drivers who enter Manhattan below 60th Street was set to go in effect at the start of the year, but was delayed by the Trump administration, MTA officials said.
The Trump administration didn’t provide any details as to how the state should conduct the environmental review process, which blocked it from moving forward with the plan.
The decision of Biden’s FHWA to allow the state to perform a simpler environmental assessment is a win for supporters of congestion pricing.
The congestion pricing plan could generate $15 billion over four years for the MTA for much-needed capital improvements. The program would also help reduce traffic congestion in busy sections of Manhattan, improve air quality and boost public transit ridership.
The MTA hasn’t established a price range yet for congestion pricing, although past proposals have recommended charging about $12 for cars and $25 for trucks. The prices would vary based on the time of travel.
If implemented, the state’s congestion pricing plan would be the country’s first of its kind.
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16 Comments
You are impacting private business theaters restaurants I’ll people who wanna come in to the city and enjoy the city Most people come to see shows in their cars you will impact parking facilities that makes a living you’ll impact the car dealers that are in the city both in service and sales in car dealerships impact the workers the come from a long distance and sometimes have to use the cars to come in you will push business out of the city As it is I pay tolls to come in to the city now you’re adding additional monies for me to pay so you were driving me out of the city to get a job somewhere Else
Because he has well informed insight. Don’t like it, don’t read it.
Terrible idea that will tax small business owners with vehicles who need to make the daily commute from their borough to Manhattan. Why should we have to pay to drive from one part of our city to another?
The MTA needs to be solvent on its own, without relying on this type of funding. Cancel all capitol projects and reallocate the funding to keeping itself solvent.
Why should drivers pay to drive from one part of the city to another? Because right now the costs of driving -pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, injuries and deaths from crashes- are paid for by all of us, including the majority of NYers who don’t even drive. And if you feel the MTA needs to be solvent on its own, shouldn’t drivers pay their fair share to drive and park? The gas tax, registration fees, and other user fees to drive a car in NYC don’t come close to covering their true costs for all of us.
There’s no way this can backfire.
They thinking of charging $12 ? WOW insane madness . Wish Trump was back in office . Biden wasted no time to undo and its a mess .
Guess who was president in 2019 ?
Trump actually lowered taxes and blocked this congestion tax from going through if you do your research
The plan was approved in March 2019. He didn’t block it, it’s going through, the article above says so ?Taxes also increased every year.
Woodside Lady- Trump? He decimated our economy and caused the unnecessary death of over a half million Americans and the murder of a Capitol Police Officer. That Trump?
If there was ever a good reason to protest, this would be it. What ever happen to not raise taxes onto the people? Residents who live in ny shouldn’t be taxed to travel in their own city. All minorities should oppose this new taxlaw immediately. Protest all the bridges like the brooklyn bridge protest and block it. All politicians who support this should be noted.
Over crowding is a result of over building and a failure of forecasting proper infrastructure. Politicians are responsible for this and they pass the buck to the honest tax payers to pay for their failures.
Since November 2019, Governor Cuomo and NYC Mayor de Blasio have delayed announcing their appointments to the MTA Traffic Mobility Review Board. Details of who will pay what can never be resolved until this board is established and completes its mission. It was announced that they will be meeting behind closed doors. This is inconsistent with both Cuomo’ and deBlasio’s promises of open transparent administrations under their watch. Tolling pricing recommendations were originally promised to be made public by November 2020.
This process is politically sensitive. Congestion Pricing may not kick in until January 2022 or later. Final details of who will pay what have never been established. Elected officials will lobby for exemptions for police, fire, teachers, low income, outer borough residency, seniors, small commercial delivery businesses, user of electric vehicles or other special niches. Exemptions will be adopted to placate the constituents of elected officials running for reelection in 2021 or 2022. You can’t capture five years of toll revenues ($15 billion to support MTA’s $51 billion 2020-2024 five year capital plan) when you implement the program two to three years late.
Late start for implementation, downturn in the economy and more people telecommuting will result in billions of lost anticipated revenue. .
Larry
Your Friendly Neighborhood Retired Federal Transit Administration Man
I am a home care nurse with patients all over. Will they make an exception for me? Otherwise, I’m pretty well done for.
They will have to make lots of exceptions as all the special interests groups plea their case. In the end if your have no religious group, union, of political affiliate to carve you out a pass your paying.
Larry why do always write these long comments .