Congestion Pricing Is Coming, But Many Questions Remain Unanswered
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Congestion pricing is a done deal in Manhattan.
Drivers who enter Midtown below 60th Street will pay a toll.
The change came this weekend as lawmakers approved the state budget.
A lot of the details of the plan still have to be fleshed out, but the mission is clear: It’s to get cars off the road.
Got a question about congestion pricing? We want to know! Tell us what it is.
Dawn Howell ditched her car when she moved to New York. All of the traffic in her Midtown neighborhood has her considering another move, this time to the outer boroughs.
“This area we’re going to move from, just because the congestion is so bad, the air pollution is so bad, in the summer especially,” she told CBS2’s Aundrea Cline-Thomas.
In 2021, drivers will have to pay a toll to enter Midtown below 60th Street. The surcharge will not apply to the West Side Highway and FDR Drive.
Web Extra: Gov. Andrew Cuomo Discusses Budget, Congestion Pricing
Drivers CBS2 spoke with weren’t happy about it.
“For me, I don’t like it,” one person told her. “Because it’s too much money.”
“We’re already paying enough as it is. So why charge us even more?” said another.
The plan is expected to raise more than $1 billion a year for the MTA to upgrade the city’s aging transit system. A review board will determine the prices, however sources tell CBS2 that cars will pay around $11.50 and $25 for truck drivers.
The charges could vary depending on the time of the day.
“The only way to stop people from using their vehicles and use public transportation is when you hurt their pocket,” said commuter Ash Fanaz.
“We can’t have a world city if our transit system is running about 65 percent on time and our traffic is moving at 4.7 miles an hour,” said traffic expert Sam Schwartz.
Howell agrees something has to be done.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be enough, but I think it’s movement in the right direction. At least they’re doing something,” she said.
There are still many unanswered questions about how the program will work. One question, for example, is whether drivers will have to pay more than once if they travel in and out of the zone several times a day.
https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
April 01, 2019 at 09:47PM
No comments: