Motorists headed to some of Manhattan's busiest neighborhoods have begun paying the nation's first congestion toll of $9 — a controversial tax that critics say will drive people out of Gotham City and destroy the local economy.
The scheme officially went into effect at midnight Sunday, meaning drivers entering the city below 60th Street will now pay $9 during peak hours — 5am to 9pm on weekdays and 9am to 9pm on weekends — and $2. $25 outside peak hours.
During peak hours, large trucks will pay $21.60, small trucks $14.40, and motorcycles $4.50.
Drivers on Saturday tore up the plan and trashed Gov. Kathy Hochul, hours before the scheme was set to take effect.
“We pay a lot of money to live in this formerly great city, which has taken some hits lately, and I think it's terrible that we're charging the tax-paying people who live here extra money when they cross 61st Street,” he said. Samantha Popper, a 44-year-old mother who lives nearby.
“It is infuriating that in just one day, we will be charged exorbitant fees just for crossing 61st Street, which is in my neighborhood,” she added.
Her message to Gov. Kathy Hochul: “Work harder” to keep New Yorkers here and don’t “try to run them out of the city by overcharging them.”
Brian Anderson, a 42-year-old IT professional, said he lived in the city for more than a decade but moved to New Jersey five years ago after he was hit in the face and passed out while reading a book on the subway.
He said he specifically moved to avoid taking mass transit, but now realizes that may no longer be a financial option.
“I probably take NJ Transit more often, and it's not fun,” he said.
“Otherwise it would cost me $30 to $40 just to get to the other side of the Hudson.”
Lyft driver Jose Sierra ripped the scheme as a “money grab.”
“Tolls are also going up, bridges, prices are also going up. It's going to be bad,” he said.
“It's all a scam,” Uber driver Luigi said.
“People won’t drive into the city,” he said.
“Taxi drivers, Uber drivers, we're going to charge them this cost — so you're penalizing them.”
Hochul and the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority raced against time to impose the fees before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. Congestion pricing has been described as “the most regressive tax known to mankind.”
Trump joins 51% of New Yorkers who oppose the controversial tax, while 29% support it, and another 20% are unsure, according to a Siena College poll conducted earlier this month.
“This cash grab will only hurt commuters' wallets and our local economy, and I'm already hearing from a lot of people who say they'll never go to Manhattan again, which will certainly have an impact on restaurants, theater and small businesses.” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (Staten Island/Brooklyn).
The MTA claims the fees are needed to reduce pollution caused by traffic congestion and raise $15 billion for mass transit development, such as expanding the Second Avenue subway, improving signaling and purchasing hundreds of new electric buses.
The agency is offering a $3 credit to EZPass-equipped passenger vehicles that enter the toll zone via the Lincoln, Queens-Midtown, Hugh L. Carey or Holland tunnels during peak hours.
Drivers earning less than $50,000 can apply for a 50% discount on all trips after the first 10 trips in the calendar month.
Architects hope the plan will prompt more drivers to use public transport, but the rollout comes after 10 people were killed in the subway system last year.
Opponents like Suzanne Lee urged the MTA to first modernize the system and make it safer.
“I try to take the subway only during rush hour because it's not safe,” said Lee, a Chinatown activist and president of New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax.
It warned that the $9 “entrance fee” would devastate Chinatown and other neighborhoods in the toll zone such as Little Italy and the Lower East Side by raising delivery costs and making travel too expensive for customers.
The scheme has been met with fierce opposition by working-class commuters — including teachers, police, firefighters and other first responders — who say they will be unfairly forced to bear the financial cost of the surcharge.
There are at least 10 pending lawsuits opposing congestion fees, but experts said they will be difficult to stop once they are in place.
A federal judge on Friday denied New Jersey's emergency request to halt the new toll program, and an appeals panel upheld the denial on Saturday.
Congestion charges began criticizing drivers on the same day the Port Authority raised bridge and tunnel fares.
For most vehicles, the new PA toll will rise from $15.38 to $16.06 during peak hours, and $18.31 without E-ZPass.
Including congestion fees, a driver traveling to Manhattan from New Jersey via the Holland and Lincoln tunnels would end up having to pay $22.06 during peak hours and $31.81 if they didn't have an E-ZPass.
Hochul abruptly paused the program before launching in June with losses of $15 after protests from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and other politicians who said it could eliminate Democratic candidates in suburban House seats.
It waited until after the general election in November before giving in to demands from car-hating environmental groups and other extremists before pushing through its reduced $9 toll plan, which is set to jump to $12 for most vehicles in 2028 and $15 in Year 2031.
The toll is the first of its kind in the United States, but London and some other cities around the world have rolled out similar programs.
Additional reporting by Khristina Narezhnaya and Mary Pohl.
