Newsday
By Newsday Staff | January 5, 2025
New York City’s congestion pricing program, charging drivers entering 60th Street and below in Manhattan, started Sunday, with MTA officials optimistic that it will loosen traffic-clogged streets, drivers objecting to the first-such plan in the nation and firefighters’ labor leaders predicting longer response times.
At a news conference on Sunday, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Janno Lieber said motorists can expect to see toll charges on their E-ZPass accounts within a few days after fees are calculated based on what time drivers entered the congestion zone, their vehicle type and whether they stayed on an exempt road like FDR Drive.
Lieber encouraged drivers to make sure their E-ZPass accounts are connected to their license plates, as the toll for passenger vehicles is $13.50 without E-ZPass rather than $9 during peak hours.
The congestion pricing program launched at one second after midnight Sunday. About seven hours later, hundreds of vehicles, a handful of taxicabs and several food trucks drove off the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan. The bustling business district on the East Side stands right at the perimeter of the congestion pricing zone.
FDNY EMS Local 2507, the union representing the city’s EMTs and paramedics, has advised those working in the toll zone to request a transfer.
“The union is urging members to submit their transfer paperwork urgently, given the steep fiscal implications — $45 [a] week — for its members, who are the lowest paid of any of New York City’s front line first responders,” the union said in a statement last week.