New congestion pricing will impose fees totaling up to $27 on cars entering Manhattan during the day, with van and truck drivers facing even higher costs, but firefighters, teachers, Ordinary workers say they simply cannot afford to do so.
As the Post's map shows, it costs less than 60 to enter a congestion zone, defined as entering Manhattan.th Starting January 5th, tolls for roads, cars, passing through tunnels and some bridges will increase from $9 to $20 with an EZ Pass, and from $13.50 to $27 without. significantly higher.
Business owners say the highly unpopular bill, pushed through by Gov. Kathy Hochul and not voted on by New Yorkers, will force them to pass on increased costs to customers, so all businesses in the city will be forced to pass on increased costs to customers. It warns that it will affect people.
Currently, more than 700,000 vehicles enter Manhattan's congestion charge area every day. According to the Metropolitan Area Transportation Bureautraveling at an average speed of just 7 miles per hour. Officials believe that introducing congestion pricing could reduce that number by about 100,000.
Small trucks, such as delivery vehicles, will be charged about $5 more in congestion charges during peak hours. Large trucks and tour buses pay a $21.60 congestion charge, along with bridge and tunnel costs, during peak hours, defined as 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Masu.
Those riding in the city's yellow cabs will also see fare increases, with congestion pricing adding an additional $2.50 for trips “beginning, ending, or passing through Manhattan south of 96th Street.”
It's another big blow for people currently struggling with the high cost of living in New York, which is already the third most expensive city in the world, according to one study. A recent survey by The Economist.
Small Business Owner: Larry Zogby
Delivery companies are facing eye-watering cost increases and are expected to be among the businesses hardest hit by congestion charges, according to people who spoke to The Post.
Cars and motorcycles are subject to a one-charging limit per day. Trucks, vans, and buses are charged a fee each time they enter a congestion zone. According to the MTA.
RDS delivery service President and CEO Larry Zogby argued that congestion pricing costs businesses from Long Island City, Queens to all New York boroughs more than $1 million a year.
“Nobody I talk to in business will understand this story, so they'll just take it and tell it like it is,” he told the Post.
“This is the second-largest cost after labor and results in more than $1 million being passed on to customers.”
Mr. Zogby said his company's drivers enter congestion zones more than 40,000 times a year to deliver everything from medical specimens and medicines to food for the elderly.
Proponents argue that congestion pricing is intended to reduce traffic and encourage people to use public transportation.
The money raised from tolls will be used primarily to renovate the city's aging subways and buses, the MTA said.
But Mr Zogby insists the whole plan is “a sham” and that “everyone is swimming in the same position”.
“This is a money grab,” he said.
“They don't take into account small commercial businesses using trucks and vans. They should have thought more about this.”
There are currently 10 lawsuits pending against the fee program in federal and state courts in New York and New Jersey.
“People need to…brace themselves and prepare for impact,” Zogby said, adding: “It's the customers who are going to fail.”
firefighter
An FDNY apprentice firefighter who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity said the consensus among his colleagues was that they were “taxed to work” in Manhattan.
“I usually commute by car, but the expenses are much higher than I expected.
“In my academy class, very few people wanted to be placed downtown because of the congestion charge, but we don't have a choice where we go.
“It's a large portion of my salary and it's an unreasonable cost.”
The official said he no longer plans to drive to Manhattan to perform his duties, but there is no reasonable alternative.
“When I take the train from Long Island to work, I'm often sent to different fire stations as part of my job, but I'm not going to bring my car in anymore because it's expensive, so I have to walk with them.” 40 Bring ~60 pounds of gear or take an Uber,” he said.
“You have your own personal locker at the fire station and it's stored there, so if you're reassigned to another fire station or sent out of town, you have to take it all with you. Every day, hundreds of FDNY firefighters are reassigned to different fire stations as needed.
“(This includes) pants, jackets, boots and a helmet, which is a minimum of 45 pounds for a small person. Then you have personal tools like screwdrivers, wrenches, hose wrenches, etc. Also, after a fire You will also need to prepare for decontamination, so you should bring toiletries, extra clothing, towels, soap, and shampoo.
“All of these things have to be transported from one point to another, and how do you get from point A to point B when the weather is bad, like a snowstorm, or when the city is congested? Is it good?
The head of the Big Apple's firefighters union predicts the pricing will have a devastating impact on the city's firefighters. They use private vehicles to travel between their homes and various fire stations and to transport work equipment.
“The majority of the city's fire departments will be transporting 80 pounds of equipment from station to station by subway, as they will no longer be able to bring their own vehicles,” the FDNY said. Uniformed Firefighters Association Greater New York President Andrew Ansbro told the Post.
“This device is coated with dangerous carcinogens and is dangerous to carry on public transport.
“And the last thing New Yorkers want is a firefighter who is exhausted before getting to work when they need him to save lives.”
The firefighters union asked the MTA to waive the $15 toll for members driving to fire stations in areas below 60th Avenue.
But so far, they have been unsuccessful, and the MTA has placed the onus on the FDNY to provide company cars to employees who need them or to cover necessary transportation costs.
“The law is clear: personal vehicles are not considered emergency vehicles,” Ansbro continued.
“If the FDNY designates an emergency vehicle to resolve the issue, and if not, we will need to work out some resolution with our members to compensate them for using their own vehicles, but for now, New York City firefighters are at a huge disadvantage.”
Brooklyn Plumber: Paul Berry
Paul Berry, a small business owner in Brooklyn, said he also worries about the ripple effects.
“Everyone I know in the plumbing industry is planning to pass costs on to customers by raising prices and adding additional fees, and we will have to do the same,” he told the Post.
President Berri Franco Belli plumbing workHe said he and his team are called to work all over the city.
The company's plumbers use all cars with employer-paid EZ passes. So it's Mr. Berry's small family business, started by his late father in 1974, and others like it, that will ultimately feel the pinch of congestion pricing.
“We go where people need plumbing work. We get calls in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx,” explained Berry, who is also a licensed master plumber with the company.
“Congestion fee increases will cost businesses hundreds of dollars a week in extra costs that they will somehow be able to recoup as they are added to the bills of the people they serve in that area of Manhattan. I need to.”
school teacher: paul caminiti
Paul Caminiti regularly commutes from his home in Staten Island to the East Village, where he works as a teacher. He said he drives to school every day because it takes 40 minutes each way by car, compared to 90 minutes by public transportation.
“[I pay] “It costs about $13, sometimes $20 a day to get from Staten Island to the East Village, and there's no reliable bus or train to actually get you there,” he told the Post.
“We're going to have to pay extra because of our stupid governor. She clearly can't read the room. $9 is too much…I won't vote for her or any other idiot who implements congestion pricing.” plug.”
Other major cities around the world also have congestion charges, including London, Milan, and Singapore.
