Starting Jan. 5, motorists -- including truckers -- will have to pay a toll to drive through the busiest portion of New York City.
The Federal Highway Administration last week signed off on a plan that would charge motorists to drive below 60th Street in Manhattan. The toll will be assessed by license plate reading cameras, and the fees will be used to support and modernize the city's ailing mass transit system.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul halted implementation of the original plan earlier this year, saying the proposed $15 toll on motorists's would have created a financial burden for many working class New Yorkers. However, Hochul reintroduced the plan earlier this month with lowered fees.
The congestion pricing plan will now cost car drivers $9 a day to drive below 60th Street.
In the original plan, operators of large trucks would have paid $36 to travel through the busiest section of the city during the day. Hochul said that the price would be lowered to $21.60. The price for small trucks is now $14.40, down from the original $24.
However, the toll on trucks in levied each time they drive below 60th Street.
Prices for night time travel in the central business district are reduced by 75%. This is meant to encourage after-hours truck deliveries, according to Hochul’s plan.
There have been numerous legal challenges to the plan, which is similar to ones in London, Stockholm and Singapore. The Trucking Association of New York previously filed a law suit in federal court insisting the pricing plan is unconstitutional. The association has said it will continue to pursue the suit.
When Hochul announced renewal of the congestion pricing plan, TANY said, "“The fundamental issue remains the same as before: the disproportionate pricing structure, which once again unfairly targets trucking operators, is a burdensome regulatory framework and cost imposition on the industry responsible for transporting 90% of goods in New York State.
"“As we have repeatedly stressed, a reduced rate congestion pricing structure is a positive development for our industry but is not sufficient on its own. The decision to maintain the per-trip charge, rather than adjusting the fee to a per-day structure, is yet another example of the continued disregard toward our industry from the most powerful people in the state.
“In fact, despite the ubiquity of our operations, we were entirely excluded from all discussions pertaining to the reinstatement of this plan."
