NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Between bridge and tunnel tolls, parking fees and the ever-present risk of getting a traffic ticket, it can already cost a mint to drive into Manhattan.
Is forking over another $15 for the privilege of driving into the most traffic-choked parts of the island enough to finally get more people out of their cars and onto mass transit?
That's the hope, at least among some New York officials.
The Big Apple is close to implementing a plan that would use license-plate readers to turn all of Manhattan south of Central Park into one giant toll zone.
Most drivers in private cars would pay a of at least $15, or $22.50 if they aren't enrolled in a regional toll collection program. That would come on top of the already hefty tolls to enter the city via some river crossings, like the $13.38 to $17.63 it costs to take a car through the Lincoln or Holland tunnels.
That price tag, it鈥檚 hoped, will lead to fewer traffic jams, reduce air pollution and provide a desperately needed annual cash infusion of around $1 billion for the city鈥檚 subway and bus systems, which carry some daily.
If the plan is finalized, New York would become the first U.S. city to join a handful globally with similar congestion pricing schemes, including London, Stockholm, Milan and Singapore, which is credited with in 1975.
But the lofty plan, which is aiming for a summer launch, still faces roadblocks and questions about whether it's worth it.
Public school teachers are among those expected to plead for an exemption at that kick off Thursday.
Manhattan business owners are fretting about the impact on the local economy. Suburban commuters are furious over the prospect of even costlier workday drives.
The fee is a particularly tough pill for civil servants, many of whom don鈥檛 have a choice where they鈥檙e assigned, said Paul Caminiti, a public school teacher who drives in from Staten Island.
He says his options are either to swallow an additional $2,700 a year in fees to maintain his current half-hour drive or take as many as three buses that can take nearly two hours, including wait times.
鈥淭o the regular person that鈥檚 paying all this extra money, that does mean a lot,鈥� Caminiti said.
For supporters of the plan, though, nothing less than the essence of New York is at stake. of city households own a car. People who don't drive need a reliable and affordable mass transit system, said Danny Pearlstein, of the Riders Alliance.
鈥淣ew York is utterly and completely dependent on transit,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ew York has decided to invest in the infrastructure that makes New York possible.鈥�
American cities should take heed of London鈥檚 experience, suggests Michael Manville, a professor who chairs the urban planning department at UCLA.
While use of private cars there plummeted in the early years, traffic has essentially returned to pre-fee levels more than two decades on, he says.
That could be because the city has granted many exemptions 鈥� the city鈥檚 famous black cabs, vehicles transporting people with disabilities and even electric vehicles don鈥檛 pay the , according to Manville.
鈥淭here鈥檚 always going to be carve-outs,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut the further and further you start going down that road, there lies madness.鈥�
So far, includes exemptions for emergency vehicles, transit buses, certain vehicles carrying people with disabilities and specialized government vehicles. Low-income city residents also can qualify for a discounted rate and a tax credit.
Passengers using Uber, Lyft and other app-based rides in Manhattan would be assessed a $2.50 surcharge per trip, while taxis and black car riders would be taxed $1.25. Those fees, which would come on top of a already imposed on for-hire rides in Manhattan, will be passed on to passengers, but will still hurt drivers if people forgo costlier rides into the city center, argues Raul Rivera of the driver advocacy group NYC Drivers Unite.
Trucks and for-profit buses, meanwhile, would pay stepped-up fees ranging from $24 to $36.
Congestion fees would be reduced during the quieter night hours, but would be in effect weekends.
John McCarthy, chief of policy at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which stands to benefit from the cash infusion, says the question is simply one of volume.
鈥淲e need to reduce the number using cars if we are serious about dealing with the congestion that鈥檚 clogging roads," he said.
No less than five lawsuits are attempting to block the fee, including from neighboring New Jersey, where some commutes into the city daily.
Richard Galler, a Fort Lee, New Jersey, resident and a plaintiff in one of the suits, said he fears vehicle pollution in his neighborhood will only get worse if drivers who would have entered Manhattan via two tunnels south of Central Park divert to the George Washington Bridge, which is located outside the proposed congestion zone.
Residents in some of the city鈥檚 more far-flung corners have similar concerns.
鈥淲hat's in it for us?鈥� said Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, a Republican leading another suit against the plan. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to hurt our environment, make our traffic worse and expect us to pay for it?鈥�
People with disabilities worry their unique transportation needs will once more become an afterthought.
Jean Ryan, a Brooklyn resident who heads the group Disabled in Action, says the MTA鈥檚 proposed exemption for disabled people is too restrictive. She鈥檚 also skeptical the will truly be invested in elevator, ramp and other crucial accessibility improvements, as the MTA has promised.
鈥淢ost disabled folks live on a very, very low income,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have wiggle room in their budget.鈥�
Manhattan business groups, meanwhile, hope authorities can pump the brakes while New York City continues recovering from the pandemic, which changed commuting patterns substantially as many office workers shifted permanently to working from home much of the time.
Cristyne Nicholas, who chairs the Broadway Association, said her group is especially concerned about the impact on night shift workers who must drive to Manhattan because of limited mass transit options in the early morning hours.
鈥淭his is not the same New York City from five years ago,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are concerned that the proposed fee structure and hours will slow the recovery.鈥�
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Philip Marcelo, The Associated Press
