Congestion Pricing - Aid to NYMTA - Almost Here

[Gilbert B Norman]

Well, subject to "eleventh hour efforts" to block the initiative, Congestion Pricing is set to take effect June 30. Very succinctly, it will cost $15 per day to drive a private auto South of 60th Street on Manhattan. The revenue raised will be allocated to the MTA and will go for capital projects (buy new cars), as distinct from operating expenses (paying the operator to run them). It is expected to generate some $1B annually:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/06/nyre ... =url-share

Fair Use:

New York City’s congestion pricing program is scheduled to begin charging tolls to drive into the busiest parts of Manhattan next month, with the aim of generating a $15 billion windfall for the mass transit system.

That money would not translate into lower fares or a huge subway expansion. Instead, with a few notable exceptions, it would largely support the unglamorous but critical work of maintaining the century-old infrastructure that millions of New Yorkers rely on — repairing and upgrading aging equipment, modernizing signals and technology and making subway stations more accessible.

As the article notes, it's a "buy now pay later" as the plan is to float some $15B of bonds now, and pay them back with tolls collected over the next fifteen years.

Oh well, who pays cash nowadays?

[eolesen]

Another "sin tax" that will disproportionately hurt lower-middle income folks .

I'd be surprised if it actually raises anything near the money expected.

[andrewjw]

please cite the studies showing this will "disproportionately hurt lower-middle income folks" or stop spreading misinformation

[west point]

Another "sin tax" that will disproportionately hurt lower-middle income folks .

How many of those folks can actually afford a vehicle or even have one?

[Gilbert B Norman]

How many of those folks can actually afford a vehicle or even have one?

Likely, if you are a City employee residing within the Outer Boroughs - pulling in, say, $150K, as a Police Officer.

[eolesen]

Another "sin tax" that will disproportionately hurt lower-middle income folks .

How many of those folks can actually afford a vehicle or even have one?

Based on how hard it is to find street parking in Queens and Brooklyn, quite a few, apparently.

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[ExCon90]

From my position outside the paywall I'm wondering whether there are any provisions for people residing south of 60th St. in Manhattan. If someone drives up to Scarsdale, will it cost them $15 to come home? Or is there an exemption for vehicles so registered?

[MACTRAXX]

Everyone: Manhattan congestion pricing operated by the MTA is based on London's Congestion Zone:
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/congestion-charge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_congestion_charge
This Wikipedia page is very informative and includes the history of how the London Congestion Charge
was implemented...

15 GBP - 7 AM to 6 PM Monday thru Friday; 12 Noon to 6 PM Saturday and Sunday are the base hours...
See Congestion Charge Zone Map for the London CBD area...

Something I noticed about London's congestion charge is that a vehicle entering the Zone only pays ONCE
no matter how many times that the vehicle in question goes in and out of the CZ over the course of a day...
That is helpful to Taxi and other for-hire vehicles serving London and vicinity...

If the new Manhattan Congestion Charge gets applied and enforced in a FAIR manner this may help keep
southern Manhattan from suffering some of the extreme "gridlock" traffic problems that many fear...

A balanced NYC transport system for all modes can benefit just about everyone...MACTRAXX

[eolesen]

From my position outside the paywall I'm wondering whether there are any provisions for people residing south of 60th St. in Manhattan. If someone drives up to Scarsdale, will it cost them $15 to come home? Or is there an exemption for vehicles so registered?

Nope, there's no exemption for people living south of 60th.

That's all of Ukranian Village, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Lower East Side, Chelsea, Grammercy Park, etc...

For someone who needs their car 4 to 7 days a week, it's an added $3500- $5400 tax per year.

Why anyone chooses to stay in New York anymore amazes me.

[GirlOnTheTrain]

If you can afford to own a car and park it living within the congestion zone you don't need an exemption. Having a car and living in that part of Manhattan is the definition of luxury.

I live in an outer borough and you can't pay me enough to drive into Manhattan south of the GWB. That's when I take my arse to the train and/or express bus.

[RandallW]

There are exemptions for people who can't use transit (i.e., need specialized mobility assistance), and income tax credits for those making less than $60K who live in that area. Any company needing to use a vehicle garaged in the area as a work vehicle can most likely write off the tolls as a business expense. I understand that most Manhattanites in that area of the district who own vehicles already rent garage space away from their homes and don't use their vehicle regularly unless they fall into an exemption category.

[lensovet]

Yep all valid points above

And to the question raised earlier, you only pay once per day, just like in London.

And yeah, I'd love to see these "lower middle class" (what does that even mean? explicit numbers in $$ per year of annual salary please) folks who are apparently using their car to drive around lower manhattan instead of taking some kind of transit or cab.