Truckers will have one more reason to hate driving to or through New York City.
Part of the $175 billion 2020 budget passed by the New York state legislature last weekend is the nation’s first congestion pricing plan. The plan will charge drivers a premium for driving in the city’s central business district below 60th Street in Manhattan.
The congestion fee is expected to raise some $15 billion.
While details are still being refined, it’s expected in 2021, drivers of cars will pay between $12 and $14. Last year a panel studying the issue suggested truckers would pay a flat $25 per day, but the budget includes wording that suggests the fee will vary based on the most congested times of the day. There is no word if other tolls will be included in the fee charged to truckers.
Taxis will be billed $2.50 per ride, while ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft will be billed $2.75 for each trip.
The plan is the first in the U.S. and is similar to one that has been in place for years in London. It’s meant to reduce traffic in the busiest section of Manhattan, and raise money to repair the city’s subway system and for other mass transit organizations.
Last year there was mention of a similar plan for Seattle, and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon are studying the possibility of such fees.
Opponents of the New York City plan claim it will simply cause traffic problems elsewhere in the city.
