NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – Everybody’s talking about congestion pricing after lawmakers gave a green light to the plan for new tolls on many Manhattan drivers.
The plan is all but assured to pass as it makes its way through the Legislature and awaits Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s signature, but it won’t be implemented until 2021.
That will give a panel of experts two years to work out details such as: What discount will Lincoln and Holland tunnel drivers get? And will George Washington Bridge drivers get any break at all?
The tolls will help fund upgrades to the aging subway system and commuter rail lines like LIRR and Metro-North -- a move that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio approves.
“I endorsed congestion pricing because I knew – if done right – it was our best hope at getting the trains moving and ending the suffering our riders face every day," de Blasio said in a statement. "This budget represents a giant step in the right direction. With a guaranteed lockbox for New York City riders, fairness for the outer boroughs, and exemptions for people experiencing hardships, I am confident this dedicated revenue stream will go a long way toward fixing the MTA's broken subway system."
Related: Legislature Approves State Budget That Includes Manhattan Tolls, Plastic Bag Ban
Newly confirmed MTA chairman Patrick Foye also noted Monday that the congestion pricing plan is historic.
“Central business district tolling is a transformative initiative that will support critical investments in our transit system, reduce pollution and emissions while improving air quality,” Foye said.
It’s expected to generate $1 billion in revenue for the financially burdened MTA, but the toll amount has still yet to be determined.
“That amount, whatever it is – exemptions, credits, if any – will be discussed by the Traffic Mobility Review Board, they'll be public hearings and recommendations will be made to the MTA Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority,” he notes.
That panel hasn't been named yet, but Foye says the money will provide the MTA a lifeline.
“That means necessary funding for state of the art signals, new trains, subways and buses, 50 additional accessible subway stations and the infrastructure that keeps New York moving,” he said.
Traffic guru, GridlockSam Schwartz, has estimated the cost between $12 and $14 for cars and $20 to $25 for commercial vehicles during peak hours. It would be less on nights and weekends.
There would be hardship exemptions for low-income drivers and those with handicapped plates. City-owned vehicles and emergency vehicles would also be exempt.
Tolls paid at Hudson River and East River crossings would be subtracted from the congestion fee. Drivers will also not pay on the FDR and Westside Highway.
Still, news of more tolls wasn’t what drivers wanted to hear on a Monday morning.
Related: A Look At Key Items In New York's $175.5B Budget Plan
Brad Bolton, a flooring contractor on Long Island, pays a toll at the Midtown Tunnel.
“All the bridges and tunnels went up, the signs are saying that, but this is where our work is. We have to make a living,” Bolton said.
Others drivers told WCBS 880’s Marla Diamond that the tolls will hit working people hard and cause the price of merchandise to rise.
“Everything’s going to go up now, even my blood pressure,” one coffee cart operator said.
The AAA calls congestion pricing unfair – the association says drivers are subsidizing subways and trains. It points to a study last year that rated 46 percent of New York area’s major roads as being in poor condition.
Suburban commuters too are asking: “What about the roads?”
“The roads are horrible,” one man said. “Subway system – they had 100 years to fix it, and they let it go.”
Drivers also say they doubt congestion pricing will live up to its name. They think people will still drive and that roads will still be clogged.
Other suggestions for alleviating traffic include restricting deliveries to overnight; cracking down on the proliferation of ride-sharing vehicles; and better placing bike lanes and pedestrian malls so major avenues don’t lose vital lanes of travel.
In the northern suburbs of Rockland and Westchester counties, political leaders have been reacting to the plan, which will set aside 10 percent of funding for Metro-North.
State Sen. David Carlucci welcomes a dedicated revenue stream for the commuter rail road.
But Carlucci still has questions, like whether congestion pricing would include the Tappan Zee Bridge toll.
“Are they going to exempt the Tappan Zee Bridge? Which I think is extremely important and necessary,” he said.
In Westchester, county executive George Latimer says there are suburban benefits.
“The nature of the improvements that congestion pricing helps fund will be what makes it more palatable in the suburbs,” Latimer said.
Latimer also says the federal government should have stepped in to help.