New York panel approves congestion tolls, but court battles continue

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved congestion tolls Wednesday that would add at least $15 to fees drivers already pay at some crossings into Manhattan, but questions remain about the policy’s future as it faces a series of suits that claim the tolls would simply shift congestion and pollution into northern New Jersey.

The MTA’s congestion pricing program, which the authority’s board approved in an 11-1 vote, would charge commuters $15 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m., with trucks and buses paying tolls between $24 and $36.

“Today’s vote is one of the most significant the Board has ever undertaken, and the MTA is ready,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber.

Tolls would be 50% higher for drivers without an E-ZPass, meaning those commuters could pay as much as $22.50, and they could climb another 25% on high-traffic gridlock alert days. A commuter without an E-ZPass driving into the congestion zone on one of those days would pay as much as $28.13 in congestion fees.

A provision of the plan approved Wednesday allows the MTA to lower or raise tolls by 10% within the first year of their enactment.

Proponents of the tolls have argued they will reduce gridlock and pollution in Manhattan by directing more commuters to public transit, while detractors have argued the city is seeking to tax New Jerseyans and other commuters to plug a hole in its budget.

The congestion tolls are expected to generate $1 billion annually, and all of that money would go to the MTA. The tolls are set to launch in mid-June, but the policy will first have to overcome a series of lawsuits filed by residents in New York and New Jersey.

New Jersey in July sued the U.S. Department of Transportation, arguing the agency ignored the environmental and financial impacts congestion pricing would have on New Jersey residents.

“This is far from over and we will continue to fight this blatant cash grab,” Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday. “The MTA’s actions today are further proof that they are determined to violate the law in order to balance their budget on the backs of New Jersey commuters.”

Another class action lawsuit brought by Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich and a Fort Lee resident argues the policy will degrade air quality and worsen traffic in Bergen County.