One battle over congestion pricing is over. But now that the plan is officially coming to New York City, the next fight has begun: Who will pay, how much will it cost and who might get a break?
The outcry began almost immediately after Cuomo and state lawmakers reached a deal last weekend to make New York the first city in the country to enact congestion pricing. Starting in 2021, drivers entering the heart of Manhattan could pay $11 to $25, money that will be used to pay for improvements to the city’s troubled subway.
State leaders were careful to avoid including too many details in the legislation, in part over concerns it would be harder to pass. Instead, they left many of the difficult decisions to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and a yet-to-be-appointed six-member “traffic mobility review” board.
But that has opened the way for various groups to try to influence the outcome in the months ahead and to make their case for exemptions and discounts.
“We will be having discussions with the panel to educate them on the trucking industry and the challenges they have when it comes to delivering in the zone,” said Kendra Hems, president of the Trucking Association of New York. “We feel very strongly that the industry should be exempt from paying.”
But state officials and transit advocates say allowing too many loopholes could prevent the city from achieving its two major goals: reducing congestion and raising $15 billion for public transit.
“The intent is not to have a whole list of exemptions,” said Robert Mujica, the state budget director. “You’re trying to discourage people from driving into the zone — that’s the only way to reduce traffic.”
But that will not deter people from trying.
“Every constituency in town is going to ask for a special exemption and carve out, but part of what makes congestion pricing work is that it’s fair and applies broadly,” said John Raskin, executive director of the Riders Alliance, an advocacy group.
The stakes are high to get it right. New York could serve as an example for other cities, such as Los Angeles and Philadelphia, that are also considering the idea. If it is a debacle, other cities might abandon their plans.
In London, where congestion pricing began in 2003, the toll has risen to about $15 per day, from about $8. Residents who live in the zone get a discount, as do owners of low-emission vehicles. Taxis and other ride-hailing cars are exempt.
The New York legislation included only a broad framework: The congestion zone is below 60th Street in Manhattan, except for the West Side Highway and FDR Drive, two busy roadways on each side of the island. Emergency vehicles and those carrying disabled people are exempt. People who live in the zone and earn less than $60,000 a year can receive a tax credit.
The framework has left ample room for complaints.
Leaders in New Jersey say its drivers could get gouged. Gov. Philip Murphy asked Cuomo for a discount for those who use the George Washington Bridge, the world’s busiest bridge.
Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, said on Twitter that New Jersey should seek revenge by tolling New York drivers to pay for upgrades for New Jersey Transit, the state’s sputtering commuter rail and bus network. If some bridges and tunnels are discounted and not others, he said, that could lead to major traffic jams at certain crossings.
“If you selectively exempt people based on politics, that’s a big issue for us,” Fulop said.
The backlash in the region has been swift. About 54 percent of New York City voters oppose congestion pricing and more than half believe it would not reduce traffic, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released on Tuesday.
Drivers will likely pay $12 to $14 for cars and around $25 for trucks entering the city during peak business hours, and less at night and on weekends, said Samuel I. Schwartz, a traffic expert known as Gridlock Sam who was one of the architects of the congestion pricing plan. But if the authority starts handing out exemptions, that would likely push up tolls for everyone else to $15 or more.
“I think there should be just about no exemptions,” he said. “People using their cars contribute to congestion. It doesn’t matter what group they belong to.”
But even Schwartz has not been able to escape the calls for exemptions from friends and neighbors in northern Manhattan. “People are calling me asking for their own personal exemptions — even neighbors of mine,” he said. “I’m not terribly popular at the moment.”
Sean Hughes, a spokesman for Coach USA, which operates hundreds of buses in Manhattan daily, said he has been calling, emailing and meeting with state lawmakers to make a case for exempting buses. Hughes said buses reduce congestion by carrying people who would otherwise be driving.
“Busing is a form of mass transit that is a solution to congestion,” he said. “We should be exempt.”
Several motorcycle clubs have also pressed state lawmakers for an exemption or discount, with their members saying that they should not have to pay the same fees as drivers since their two-wheelers contribute less to congestion than cars.
“One car can take the space of six bikes,” said Joseph Notovitz, 64, a branding specialist from Long Island who regularly rides his motorcycle to and from Manhattan and weaves around cars trapped in gridlock.
The transportation authority, the sprawling agency that oversees the subway, buses and commuter railroads, will determine the tolls and exemptions based on recommendations by a “traffic mobility review” board. The authority’s board, which has representatives from across the region, must also approve the tolls.
The authority will appoint the mobility board, which must include one member recommended by New York City’s mayor. One member must live in the area served by the Metro-North Railroad and another must live along the Long Island Rail Road. Its findings are due around November 2020.
Mujica said the mobility board will review a traffic study analysis of bridges and tunnels and consider public input before deciding whether to credit drivers who already pay tolls. The board, which will likely have members with experience in public transportation and finance, will also come up with a plan for taxis and ride-hail vehicles, including Uber.
Uber, the popular ride-hail app, has been a key booster for congestion pricing. The company says it has spent more than $2 million to support the proposal. Uber has paid lobbyists more than $1 million in New York since 2017 and spent nearly $200,000 on television ads and phone calls to support congestion pricing last year, according to state records.
Uber officials say congestion pricing is the best way to relieve traffic in the city, instead of blaming Uber for congested streets and imposing a cap on new ride-hail vehicles. Josh Gold, a spokesman for Uber, declined to comment on whether Uber might seek an exemption from the congestion toll.
State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, a Democrat from Long Island, said he is pushing for a credit for Long Island commuters who use the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge on the way into Manhattan. “These people should not get double tolled,” he said.
The authority’s bridges and tunnels division will technically oversee the tolling program. Its acting president, Daniel DeCrescenzo, along with the new MTA chairman, Patrick Foye, will have considerable power over the plan. So will Cuomo, who appointed Foye and has taken near total control over the transit agency.
Taxi leaders are writing a letter to Cuomo and Foye asking for an exemption for an industry that has already been decimated by the rise of Uber. Nicolae Hent, a Queens taxi driver, said the new tolls in Manhattan could add up to hundreds of dollars a month.
“It’s another nail in the coffin,” he said. “Of course, I’m going to fight.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.