MTA board votes to approve revived congestion pricing plan with lower toll
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The MTA board voted to pass the congestion pricing plan on Monday, setting the base toll at $9 through 2027.
There was one dissenting vote. The board indicated the base toll would be "phased in" with the fare raising to $12 for 2028 through 2030 and $15 in 2031.
It marks the first step toward the plan becoming law despite facing major opposition across the Tri-State.
Work will now resume on the Second Avenue Subway and six elevator projects, as well as the purchase of 270 electric buses and procurement on A/C train signal upgrades.
The vote comes five months after Gov. Kathy Hochul slammed the brakes on the tolling program in June, saying it was the wrong time to hit commuters with a $15 toll.
Hochul's new plan, unveiled last Thursday, calls for the $9 fee on most vehicles, which would help fund the city's cash-strapped public transit system but at a lower price tag for drivers.
The board's approval on Monday will start a public education period, where the MTA will message the upcoming unpausing of congestion pricing and its new toll structure of $9 per car and $2.25 during overnight periods.
At the conclusion of the public information period, the agencies involved will sign a Value Pricing Pilot Program agreement before the Jan. 5 start date.
The fee would be imposed on most vehicles driving into Manhattan neighborhoods south of 60th Street and collected via license plate readers. It would come on top of the often-hefty tolls drivers pay to enter the island borough via some bridges and tunnels.
There are exemptions for emergency vehicles, buses and transportation for the elderly and the disabled-and for those with health conditions who must avoid mass transit.
Congestion pricing is aimed at reducing traffic and pollution while encouraging use of public transit. It has long existed in other cities around the globe, including London, Stockholm, Milan and Singapore, but not in the U.S.
While supporters say the program will help alleviate some of the gridlock on Manhattan streets and keep the MTA funded, critics say even the lowered tolls will add up quickly.
Town supervisors of four Long Island towns -- Hempstead, Oyster Bay, North Hempstead and Brookhaven -- held a press conference Monday, urging President-elect Donald Trump to stop the plan.
"The people who have to drive to the city, ladies and gentlemen, these are people that don't have the means to get on the train, they work at different hours, they work at different locations, you know, these are not the titans of industry," said Hempstead Town Supervisor Donald Clavin.
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