New York is about to become the first US city to charge motorists for access to its central business district, if plans by State lawmakers and city transport authorities go ahead.
$15 dollars to enter the zone
Passed by state legislators back in 2019, but pushed onto a backburner by the pandemic, the new tolls are expected to raise $1 billion dollars annually by charging drivers $15 to access Manhattan south of Central Park and 60th Street during daytime hours.
Night-time entries to the zone (from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am during the week and 9:00 pm to 9:00 am on weekends) will be charged less ($3.75). Larger vehicles will pay more – $36 for sightseeing buses and trucks with trailers during the day. Taxi journeys into the zone will entail an extra $1.25 per trip and “app-based rides” will have to charge $2.50.
Drivers can reduce the cost of the toll by ensuring their vehicles are fitted with an E-ZPass, which can bring down administration costs by monitoring toll usage remotely. Other drivers can expect to be identified through vehicle registration plate scanners which will result in an invoice by mail.
Undue burden?
Funds raised from the measure will go towards improving the subway and bus network. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) made only minor amendments and greenlit the plan by 11 votes to one on Wednesday, satisfied with its aims to encourage drivers to leave their cars at home and use other multi-modal transport, thereby reducing congestion and pollution.
The toll was due to come into effect in June 2024, but its introduction is being challenged in the courts by a number of groups who believe they should have an exemption, including businesspeople, school teachers, first responders, yellow cab drivers, and even the state of New Jersey. The lawsuit, which demands further environmental assessments, is anticipated to delay the toll’s start date.
At present, only the city’s 26,000 buses, school buses, and government workers are exempt from paying the new charge. Critics of the plan say it not only places undue burden on workers but will also drive up the price of consumer goods delivered to the city by vehicle, with businesses likely to pass on the cost of the toll to the consumer.
Other cities around the world have already introduced measures and charges to reduce pollution and congestion, including Athens, Brussels, Paris, Stockholm, and Singapore. London’s extension of its Low Emission Zone and Ultra Low Emission Zone is currently a hot topic among voters in the city’s mayoral election.
