Epoch Times: New York State legislature approved a new congestion pricing program for Manhattan on March 31 as part of the state’s $175 billion budget—the first U.S. city to have one. But the major details, such as how much drivers will have to pay and how it will be implemented, have not been hashed out yet.
The program hopes to lessen the traffic in congested parts of Manhattan by charging drivers who are heading into the city—pushing drivers to reconsider public transportation. New York City now joins other cities outside America who have already employed such a system, such as London, Stockholm, Milan, and Singapore.
On March 31, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters at a news conference that the toll would be set next year by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) once they have a capital plan established.
“Today we’ve gotten it done,” Cuomo said. “First state in the nation.”
The governor also described the traffic in Downstate New York as a “problem that is only getting worse.” His office did not respond to a request for comment by The Epoch Times.
Vehicles, including cars and trucks, would be tolled when they enter the congestion toll zone, a large area with more than 600,000 people. The zone would run from 60th Street, near the bottom of Central Park, all the way down to Manhattan’s southern tip.
Revenue from the tolls would go toward fixing the metropolitan area’s increasingly unreliable mass transit system. A proposal released last year by an advisory panel said the tolls could raise about $1 billion a year. read more
…liberals want to force everyone into mass transit…that way, they can control WHERE you go, WHEN you can go there, and keep tabs on you more efficiently as you move around…Socialism requires that people stay where they are put and do what Socialist think they should do, and controlling how easily they can move around is very important to that…automobiles are the conveyances of free men because you don’t need Government approval to go down the street or across the Country any time you like, carrying whatever you like and whomever you like, and they also enable you to live in places that aren’t wholly run by liberals…they don’t like that, it keeps them from controlling you, so the car must GO…
Penalized for driving to and from work.
^ “Revenue from the tolls would go toward fixing the metropolitan area’s increasingly unreliable mass transit system”
Yeah right Wally… and 10 years from now it’ll be exactly the same or worse!
Whut they need to relieve congestion is a form of Mucinex for greedy democRATs! Yeah Beave, either that or Colon-Blow® stool softener for those hard-to-expel Socialists!
Another reason to leave
Sounds like they’re more excited about the revenue than reduction of congestion.
State DOT funding for roads comes from fuel tax revenues. The more they push electric and hybrid cars plus the increased CAFE standards, the less fuel tax collected. The same people pushing for mass transit and infrastructure improvements are those “not paying their fair share.” I know, let’s tax the rich and those actually already paying fuel taxes. Liberal logic 101.
Ha ha ha!
“If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat.
If you get too cold I’ll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet.”
New York!
Land of the lick-spittle sycophantic slaves!
izlamo delenda est …
Hmmm…public transit unreliable, thus forcing people to drive cars. Let’s tax them to force them back into public transit that doesn’t work. Let me guess…exemptions for “government vehicles”?
People in New York metropolitan areas are all rich and can easily afford this.
And those few who can’t?
Does NY really want that kind of people entering their cities?
Its all about wasting too much money on operating expenses and going broke. NY needs money because they foolishly spend more money than they collect. Sounds like they are impeding interstate commerce.
Cuomo brags that he found a new way to tax his people.
NYExit.
This has been going on in Chicago since the 80s.
Toll roads were suppose to be free once they were paid for.
Here we are about 40 years later – The tolls haven’t gone away, but instead of paying a nickel or a dime, it’s up to 3 bucks in many places and you need to have a transponder and be tracked or pay double the price. Now they have come up with a new system where private funding can work with public works on new highway expansion. That’s a fast lane, shared with busses of course, which cost a fee. The private placement accelerates funding for the road which means money in bureaucrats pockets faster plus added support from private entities FOR tolling.
Who wants to bet that taxis will be exempt, but Uber won’t be.
Meh !
I can live without visiting Manhattan.
Actually, I can live without Manhattan even existing.
#THIS BOROUGH SUCK
this new tax is being instituted by the state. Did the city itself previously approve it, or is it being imposed upon them?
They’re just going to milk the cows that are locked in the barn. All the other cows have gone. I’m curious to see the exemptions to this new tax, and also the rationalizations for them.
Is this finding the money that De Blasio’s spouse kinda lost and now has to be found??
Been to New York – twice – sucked each time.
Baltimore seemed clean after New York City!
Oh, well, no reason to ever go back.
Fuck em – let em stew in their own stupidity.
izlamo delenda est …
Rich people don’t have to deal with this. They helicopter in to the heliport or to the top of their building where they have their Manhatten apartment or business, and then they have their driver or garaged car already there for getting around the city.
All I see is another reason to never go there.