New York City’s congestion pricing program will officially take effect on Sunday, January 5, targeting Manhattan’s busiest streets in a bid to reduce traffic and fund public transit. Governor Kathy Hochul’s revived plan will toll vehicles entering the Congestion Relief Zone, covering streets and avenues at or below 60th Street.
The program aims to cut congestion by at least 80,000 vehicles per day, easing pressure in what the MTA calls the most crowded district in the U.S. Currently, average travel speeds in the zone hover at just 7.1 mph, down 23% since 2010. The MTA reports that drivers waste 117 hours annually sitting in gridlock, contributing to $20 billion in lost productivity.
Toll Details:
- Cars: $9 during peak hours (weekdays 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., weekends 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) / $2.25 off-peak
- Motorcycles: $4.50 (peak)
- Small trucks/buses: $14.50 (peak)
- Large trucks/buses: $21.60 (peak)
- Taxis: $0.75 per trip
- App-based rideshares: $1.50 per trip
Most vehicles pay once per day, but taxis and rideshares are tolled per trip.
Exemptions & Discounts:
Emergency vehicles, school buses, and low-income drivers are exempt. Drivers earning under $50,000 annually can apply for a 50% discount after the 10th toll each month.
E-ZPass holders save about 50% and get credits when entering through certain tunnels. For the first 60 days, only the toll will apply, with no extra fees or fines.
Below is an explainer video from the MTA arguing why congestion pricing is needed.
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11 Responses
Balagan
Any info if you come from Williamsburg and u go on the Williamsburg bridge and make the 1st turn to the fdr will u still be charged? If yes we need to take the brooklyn bridge
Idiots
I’ll tell you what it’ll do
It will drive up prices because truck drivers will charge $9, workers that drive in will charge $9 and the business will charge the customer who paid $9 to come in an extra $9 for that employee
And the government will get it’s $9 plus the tax on that $9 that the business raised the price by
MTA leadership should undergo a Misa Meshuna.
QUESTION: If a year into this program people are still sitting in traffic which would indicate that the PROGRAM did not work, Would they scratch the program or keep it anyhow?
My feeling is they will keep it, because it was never about the traffic problem or the environment, it was always about MONEY 💰 & CONTROL!
They will say we will be raising the price… until it is so high that people will stop coming to manhattan, effectively prohibiting people from coming in a “KOSHER” way, while robbing people who must come to the city for medical or business purposes.
Liberalism is an evil mental disorder, people who are suffering from it don’t realize that they caused their demise upon themselves (keep voting for the democrats, it will surly cure all your problems that you don’t have)
The prices will be passed on to the consumers. It will DESTROY businesses because who wants to get charged the extra tax. They aren’t coming into Manhattan by public transportation because they want to live.
They should rename the city to New York Stupid City.
more taxes only ever fix one problem: how to fund political overspending.
Brooklyn drivers will be charged to make the connection between the FDR Drive and the Brooklyn crossings “if the trip cannot be made exclusively on highways,” according to the MTA.
Vehicles can travel from the FDR Drive to the Brooklyn Bridge and from the Brooklyn Bridge to the FDR Drive northbound without entering the street grid, so they will not be tolled. However, vehicles traveling from the Brooklyn Bridge to the FDR south enter the grid at Pearl Street and will be tolled.
*FDR Drive to Brooklyn Bridge: Not tolled*
*Brooklyn Bridge to FDR Drive North: Not tolled*
*Brooklyn Bridge to FDR Drive South: Tolled*
Vehicles traveling between the FDR Drive and the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges also have to enter the grid and, therefore, will be tolled.
*FDR Drive to Manhattan Bridge: Tolled*
*FDR Drive to Williamsburg Bridge: Tolled*
The same policy stands for the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel. Vehicles traveling both north and south between the tunnel and West Street will not be tolled, because they are staying on the excluded roadways. However, vehicles exiting the tunnel into Trinity Place or elsewhere in the congestion zone will be tolled.
*Hugh L. Carey Tunnel to/from West Street: Not tolled*, unless exiting into Trinity Place
Toll scanners will track vehicles at multiple points along the excluded roadways (FDR and West Side Highway). If a vehicle is detected bypassing the congestion zone in a “reasonable period of time,” it will not be charged. If a vehicle is no longer detected without leaving the zone — say, for example, to park just off the roadway — it will be charged.
Drivers will also have to pay to get from the West Side Highway to both the Holland and Lincoln tunnels, because they enter the street grid.
*West Side Highway to Holland Tunnel: Tolled*
*West Side Highway to Lincoln Tunnel: Tolled*
EZ-Pass drivers taking these tunnels will be eligible for the $3 credit.
So where can you avoid the congestion pricing tolls?
Heading south:
FDR Drive > Brooklyn Bridge
West Side Highway/West Street > Hugh L. Carey Tunnel
Heading north:
Brooklyn Bridge > FDR Drive north
Queensboro Bridge > FDR Drive upper level exit to 62nd
@beney look at the map it says FDR is excluded
Apologies to all those needing hospitals, apologies to all those needing the tunnels to get to Passaic, Hackensack, Teaneck sometimes etc. Many apologies to all the hard-working people getting crushed so that the migrants could get free hotel rooms with Wi-Fi and food deliveries
respect to the city that never sleeps – peak hours 5a to 9 pm . I was thinking they’ll make peak hours 3p to 6p, nudging people to a little less congested hours. And go that far on BOTH ends. I don’t think many people will start going to work from 4a to 10p to avoid the toll. I can see maybe having a 9p to 5a workday instead 😉