The MTA’s board gave its initial OK Wednesday to a plan to charge motorists $15 to drive in Manhattan between 60th St. and the Battery — and signaled the toll could be raised on gridlock alert days, the city’s designated high-traffic periods.
The board voted to support the plan 9 to 1, with Nassau County’s board member, David Mack — a steadfast opponent of congestion tolling — the only ‘no’ vote.
The new tolls are aimed at easing traffic congestion and pollution in Manhattan and raising $1 billion yearly for the MTA capital plan, now enters a public review process. The toll schedule is expected to get final approval by the agency next year, the tolls are expected to take effect in May.
The plan advanced by Wednesday’s vote included some new details, including the ability of the MTA to increase the toll by 25% during “gridlock alert days” deemed by the city DOT to be the heaviest traffic days of the year.
That means drivers could be charged $18.75 for entering Manhattan during the UN General Assembly — a classic gridlock alert day — or in gridlock alert days declared during the winter holiday season.
The plan would also give the MTA some wiggle room on the toll rates. As adopted, the plan would let the transit agency raise or lower the tolls by up to 10% within congestion pricing’s first 12 months.
In its report last week, the Traffic Mobility Review Board — the MTA body charged with proposing the toll schedule — opted to propose few toll exemptions, with the aim of keeping the base toll at $15.
But MTA chair Janno Lieber said Wednesday that the agency would work to exempt school buses carrying students from the toll plan — in line with an idea floated Tuesday by Mayor Adams. “We got the message,” Lieber told the MTA board. “We do want to exempt school buses engaged in pupil transportation.”
How the MTA will figure out which school buses are carrying students to and from classes and which are not hasn’t been determined. “That’s work that needs to take place,” Lieber said.
MTA board member Midori Valdivia, a former deputy commissioner of the Taxi and Limousine Commission, called on her colleagues to consider a full exemption for yellow taxis — echoing another suggestion from Adams.
“I don’t make this request lightly,” Valdivia said. “But I do believe exploring a deeply narrow exemption for taxis is critical for the continued resurgence of this industry.”
Lieber did not directly address the possibility of a taxi exemption. The MTA boss acknowledged generally that changes to the plan could be made in the next 60 days and beyond, but that any change in traffic patterns or funding could upset the balance of the plan and require more work.
As the congestion plan now stands, taxis drivers would pass a $1.25 surcharge to their passengers for each ride in the congestion zone. Passengers using Uber or Lyft should expect an additional $2.50 charge in the zone.
The toll schedule proposed last week by the TMRB would charge cars, pickup trucks and SUVs a base rate of $15, increasing to $24 for small trucks and $36 for big rigs. Motorcycles would be charged $7.50. During night time hours — 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays and 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends — the tolls would be discounted by 75%.
Drivers who must pay a toll to enter the congestion district — those that enter via the Hudson or East River tunnels — will get an additional discount during daytime hours.
Low-income New Yorkers would get a 50% toll discount if they make 10 or more trips in the zone in a month.
The plan is expected to reduce vehicular traffic in Midtown and lower Manhattan by 17%.
Wednesday’s vote kicks off a 60-day public comment period ahead of one more vote to approve the toll structure. Lieber said Wednesday that there would be four public hearings scheduled in the new year, likely in late February and early March.
Congestion pricing still faces legal threats from New Jersey, where elected officials have filed two suits in federal court, arguing that the plan has not been sufficiently vetted by federal regulators and will lead to increased smog in New Jersey.
One suit, a class action filed in November by the mayor of Fort Lee, is still in its early days. In the other case, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration has filed for summary judgement — an expedited ruling in favor of New Jersey’s lawsuit. Both sides are expected back in court later this month.
