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New York City Slated To Charge Drivers $15 If They Enter Downtown At Rush-Hour

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Ilan Hulkower Contributor
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New York City is expected to roll out a program that would charge $15 for passenger cars traveling downtown during rush-hour.

After a slew of lawsuits and delays, these congestion charges could begin mid-June, according to the New York Post. (RELATED: New York Mayor Eric Adams Says ‘We Need To Modify The Sanctuary City Law’)

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) tweeted out that their “first public hearing on the proposed toll rate schedule for the Central Business District Tolling Program begins tonight at 6 pm EST.”

Trucks passing through downtown New York City during peak hours from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends could be charged $24, according to MTA’s document. The most expensive charges of $54 are reserved for multi-unit trucks and licensed sightseeing buses. Toll rates drop by 75 percent during the night, and low-income car owners get a half-price discount if 10 trips are made to the tollway every month, the New York Post reported.

While New York City taxis and for-hire vehicles are exempt from the toll, their riders are slated to pay an additional $1.25 to $2.50 per trip, according to the document,.

Officials argue that the program would aid in the decongestion of New York City streets and that billions of dollars from the toll could flow into the city’s coffers, the outlet reported. The city’s plan is to use money from the tolls to upgrade their infrastructure.

Others argue that this is just another fee drivers will be forced to pay and that the pollution and traffic problems would be simply re-routed to the alternative streets that drivers will take to avoid the toll, the outlet reported.

“Gov. [Kathy] Hochul has been clear from the start: congestion pricing is critical to New York’s future, delivering better transit, cleaner air and less traffic clogging our streets,” spokesperson for the governor John Lindsay, said, Politico reported. “The governor has said repeatedly that $23 is too expensive for the central business district tolls, and is carefully reviewing the recommendations of the Traffic Mobility Review Board.”