Cars could be hit with a $11.52 charge to drive into Manhattan south of 60th Street as part of a proposal released Friday by a task force set up by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The plan would make New York the first city in the nation to have a congestion-pricing plan as a way to raise revenue to pay for its transit system and encourage less driving.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez The sunset seen from 42nd Street during a phenomenon known as ?Manhattanhenge,? in New York City. The sun is seen as it sets between
The 'Fix NYC' report lays out a comprehensive nine-point plan to address the challenges of congestion in our central business district, while identifying sources of revenue to fix the ailing subway system," said Sam Schwartz, a panel member and engineer.
The cost would go up for trucks, too, but could be different depending on the time of day they travel into the busy areas of Manhattan.
Trucks would pay $25.34, while taxis and for-hire vehicles like Uber and Lyft might end up with a surcharge of $2 to $5 per ride.
The plan would go into effect in 2020 if approved by the state Legislature and signed into law by the governor.
There would be a few caveats: Drivers would be off the hook if they entered Manhattan through most East River bridges, which are now toll free, and avoided the congestion zone.
Panel members said the toll figures are in line with E-ZPass toll rates other city crossings. They said the goal would be for people to take mass transit into the city rather than drive, but they recognized that the transit system needs its own upgrades for the approach to succeed.
The report accurately points out that the objective is not to raise tolls entering the borough of Manhattan, but more specifically those trips adding to the congestion in a defined central business district," Cuomo said in a statement.
"But, as a born-and-raised Queens boy, I have outer borough blood in my veins, and it is my priority that we keep costs down for hard-working New Yorkers, and encourage use of mass transit."
The report will likely face pushback in the Legislature.
Past efforts to install a congestion pricing plan were defeated in Albany, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has also questioned any new toll, saying it would hurt working New Yorkers, and instead the state should consider a tax on millionaires.
But he seemed to be more open to the latest plan Friday.
"His plan certainly shows improvement over previous plans we’ve seen over the years, and that’s a good thing," de Blasio said Friday on WNYC radio.
"It does not achieve, in my view, some of the things we need the most, which is a guaranteed, reliable form of funding for the MTA. I believe the millionaires tax is still the best, most reliable, most verifiable way to get that permanent funding for the MTA."
Republican leaders in the Senate warned against adding new expenses to New Yorkers.
Cashless tolls
The system would be a cashless tolling system. Drivers would be charged on their EZ-Pass or a camera would take a picture of the vehicle's license plate, with a bill then sent to the driver's home.
Earlier this week, the Partnership for New York City, a business group, estimated the cost of traffic congestion in the New York metropolitan area is $20 billion a year, saying the jams are hurting the region's economy.
"Unless something is done to reduce traffic, the New York economy can expect to lose more than $100 billion over the next five years, enough to fund the modernization and maintenance of the MTA mass transit system for the next two decades," the group's report said.