Ignoring a flurry of last-minute legal challenges, New York City began imposing $9 fines on drivers entering Manhattan on Sunday, a move that has already drawn the ire of President-elect Donald Trump. There is.
Commuters from other states and territories already pay about $15 in bridge and tunnel tolls, and the congestion toll will be on top of that.
Cars entering Manhattan's “decongestion zone” (defined as local roads below 60th Street) will be charged a $9 toll during peak hours.
This fee applies to the four tunnels that lead into the Big Apple: the Lincoln Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel, the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, and the Queens Midtown Tunnel.
Officially affectionately named “congestion pricing,” this pricing encourages drivers to abandon their cars and use much-maligned public transportation such as the subway, while simultaneously The aim is to alleviate traffic congestion within the country.
“We've been studying this problem for five years, and it only takes about five minutes if you're in midtown Manhattan to realize that New York has a real transportation problem.” Jano Lieber, the transit authority's chairman and CEO, spoke to reporters late Friday after a court hearing confirmed the toll collection.
“We need to make it easier for people who choose to drive or have to drive to get around the city.”
Driver fees vary depending on the time of day and whether the driver has an E-ZPass, AP. report.
Most drivers with an EZ Pass are subject to a $9 toll to enter Manhattan south of Central Park from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Masu. After-hours tolls will be $2.25.
Someone is watching your every move…E-ZPass reader and license plate scanning camera photographed across Broadway at Columbus Circle in New York, USA, on Friday, January 3, 2025. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Republican President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to abolish the program once he takes office.
President Trump said in November that congestion pricing, whose namesake Trump Tower is in the toll zone, would “put New York City at a disadvantage compared to competing cities and states and cause businesses to flee.” said.
“This is not only a huge tax for those entering the country, but also a huge inconvenience both from a driving and personal reservation maintenance standards,” he said in a statement. “It will be virtually impossible for New York City to recover as long as the congestion charge remains in place.”
