‘This is just New York mooching off of Jersey.’ Lawmakers fight back against congestion pricing plan

Some New Jersey lawmakers are pushing back against New York’s congestion pricing toll plan.

News 12 Staff

Apr 9, 2021, 9:28 PM

Updated 1,340 days ago

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Some New Jersey lawmakers are pushing back against New York’s congestion pricing toll plan.
It currently costs drivers $15 to drive over the George Washington Bridge from New Jersey into New York. The congestion pricing plan could add an extra $3,000 per year to that commuting cost for New Jersey drivers if the plan is approved.
“Driving was a much better option,” says Fort Lee Councilman Joe Cervieri. “It’s the convenience, No. 1, but also the time it takes.”
Cervieri commuted into Midtown Manhattan for over 30 years. He calls the congestion pricing a “money grab” by New York City.
“One thing it does it puts an additional tax on people, which in this point in time shouldn’t be in consideration. We should be trying to stimulate the economy and not suppress it,” Cervieri says.
Reps. Bill Pascrell and Josh Gottheimer say that the plan unfairly punishes northern New Jersey drivers and forces more traffic toward the tunnels. The pricing plan would not impact drivers using the Holland and Lincoln tunnels.
“This is just New York mooching off of Jersey once again to solve their own problems. It’s a joke,” says Gottheimer.
“We’re used to paying our fair share. But his proposed congestion pricing scheme is a bridge too far,” says Pascrell.
The congressmen are fighting back at the federal level. They are demanding that the Department of Transportation stop the plan – at least until a better review of how it would affect New Jersey commuters can take place and until public hearings are held in New Jersey.
Under the current congestion pricing plan, vehicles entering Manhattan’s central business district would be faced with a daily toll of $14. The final cost has not yet been decided.
The money would go toward the MTA.