NJ commuters face $9 fee as MTA approves NYC’s congestion pricing plan
The MTA approved the plan Monday in during a public meeting.
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New Jersey drivers be paying more to drive into lower Manhattan early next year.
During a Monday public meeting, the MTA voted to approve the congestion pricing plan, which means that anyone driving below 60th Street will pay $9 for the privilege of driving into New York City. Those driving overnight will get a discounted rate of $2.25.
Every day, 6.5 million riders use mass transit in New York City. Subway and bus riders who were at the public meeting were quick to praise the plan, which will pay for millions of dollars in upgrades.
“I’m ready to see new elevators to make our transit system more accessible to more New Yorkers, long-due track improvements, signal modernization, new train cars and a fleet of electric buses driving us into a future,” said Betsy Plum, with the Riders Alliance.
One man who depends on the subways said at the meeting, “I want to have consistent on-time trains just like everyone else in this city.”
Jackie Cohen, with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, said “Our transit system is at a breaking point congestion pricing is how we fix it.”
The cost was originally $15, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul lowered the cost last week.
RELATED: NJ leaders vow to stop congestion pricing from returning
But the plan does have its fair share of detractors. There are several lawsuits filed to stop it, and some officials in the suburbs of Manhattan are calling on President-elect Donald Trump to stop it.
In New Jersey, there are members of the service industry who say they know they are being targeted.
Anthony Aldellizzi and his partner Mike Engel run a company called Design Pro and drive into the city several times a week.
“I think the whole thing is just a real money grab on the service industry,” Aldellizzi says.
Because of their work, they must drive in with materials in their van. They’ve already decided that the extra $9 to drive below 60th Street will be passed along to their customers' bills.
"I'll bump up my price a little bit,” Engel says, adding, when it comes to jobs in the city, “I have to charge more for every job because you got to park. It takes time to get from place to place. And yet here's another expense. It’s another expense.”
Before the vote to pass congestion pricing MTA Chair Janno Lieber said he is hopeful that this will lead to less traffic.
"Life can and should get better. If you have to drive in, you’re not spending as much time in congestion,” Lieber said. “Transit has to be preserved and expanded and improved or it ain’t gonna be New York.”
