Motorists hitting the streets of Manhattan on 60th and below will be hit with a new toll on June 30.
That’s the day the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s new congestion pricing plan goes into effect, assuming legal challenges don’t intervene.
The MTA and Governor Kathy Hochul have touted congestion pricing as a way to reduce traffic on the city’s busiest streets and clean the air while encouraging more commuters to public transit.
It is expected to generate about $1 billion in tolls for the MTA, which continues to struggle with post-pandemic dips in ridership. Approximately 700,000 vehicles pass through the city’s Central Business District every day.
The MTA will host six public webinars starting next week, followed by a question-and-answer session.
For a schedule, go here.
And to watch an MTA video explaining congestion pricing, go here.
In the meantime, here are some answers to likely questions about the new plan.
How much will it cost me to drive to New York City?
That depends on the time of day you travel and the type of vehicle you drive.
Passenger and small commercial vehicles with E-ZPass pay $15 during peak periods and $3.75 overnight. The peak period is from 5am to 9pm on weekdays and from 9am to 9pm on weekends. One charge per day.
Motorcycles pay $7.50 during peak hours and $1.75 at night. Trucks and buses $24 during peak and $6 at night. Large and multi-unit trucks: $36 during peak hours and $9 at night.
For a complete toll schedule, please click here.
Are there discounts available?
There will be discounts for emergency vehicles, buses and low-income drivers. And there will be exemption plans for disabled people and for organizations that transport people with disabilities. For a full list, visit new.mta.info/tolls/congestion-relief-zone.
Where is the congestion pricing zone?
Local streets and avenues south of and including 60e Street. The FDR Drive, West Side Highway and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street are excluded.
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Will lower Hudson Valley drivers get a break?
No.
But earlier this month, the MTA announced that residents of Orange and Rockland counties will get a 25% discount when parking in Metro-North’s North White Plains garage for Harlem Line trains to Grand Central Terminal.
And for the first time, the railroad will offer weekend service on the Haverstraw-Ossining ferry, connecting passengers living west of the Hudson River with trains to Manhattan.
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The move came after Lower Hudson Valley lawmakers complained that their constituents were not getting the promised 10% discount for passengers riding commuter rail within New York City’s five boroughs.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day likes the MTA expanding ferry service to weekends, but says service should be expanded on weekdays.
“Rockland County commuters have very few public transportation options into the city, and the extremely limited ‘peak only’ schedule of the current weekday ferry service simply doesn’t work for people traveling later in the morning, afternoon, early afternoon, or later on have to travel in the afternoon. night,” Day said this month.
And he said parking should be free for residents.
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Are there legal challenges to congestion pricing?
Yes. Challenges by the state of New Jersey, trucking groups and others are pending.
In March, Rockland County sued the MTA in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
The lawsuit alleges that the congestion pricing plan is an illegal tax that discriminates against approximately 4,000 Rockland County residents who commute to the Central Business District every day.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Congestion pricing: 5 burning questions about timing, costs, discounts
