NYC may finally start charging drivers for the hassle of navigating congested lower Manhattan, something it’s been trying to do for years. (We last covered it in 2019!)
![NYC gets closer to its toll goals](https://20627419.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/20627419/hubfs/The%20Hustle/Assets/Images/551481802-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-manhattan-toll_20230611222000.webp?width=595&height=400&name=551481802-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-manhattan-toll_20230611222000.webp)
The federal government is expected to approve its Central Business District Tolling Program after a public review period ends today, per CNN.
How it works
The program is designed to reduce congestion in the area, where 700k vehicles travel daily.
If implemented, drivers would pay $9-$23 to drive below 60th Street during peak hours starting next spring. Some, such as taxi/ride-share and low-income drivers, may receive discounts or exemptions.
Opponents, including taxi and ride-share drivers and those from the suburbs and outer boroughs, have been fending off congestion pricing for over a decade.
But proponents say it matters, because that much traffic:
- Costs New Yorkers, on average, 117 hours and ~$2k in lost productivity annually
- Creates pollution (including noise pollution from all the honking)
Also: New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority would use congestion fees to improve public transit, which residents could use to dine, shop, and work in the area — sans the stress of driving and parking.
This might sound wild for the car-loving USA…
… but similar policies have been implemented elsewhere.
- London improved congestion by 30% after implementing charges in 2003.
- One study found that Stockholm, which implemented congestion pricing permanently in 2007, had reduced air pollution by 5%-15%.
But the OG champ? Singapore’s been doing it since 1975.