President-elect Donald Trump wants to toll the bell on NYC’s congestion fee toll.
A toll for entering Manhattan below 60th street that was originally scheduled to go into effect on June 30th, but postponed indefinitely by NY Governor Kathy Hochul on June 6th, will be launched in January at a lower rate. The money raised is earmarked toward improving the city’s mass transit system.
Reports at the time said pressure from democrats running for office led to the pause, but Hochul publicly said she didn’t think timing was right due to economic conditions.
The base fee to enter the Congestion Relief Zone will now be $9, rather than the original $15 that was proposed, with discounts available to low income residents and a lower rate during overnight hours. The reversal, just week after elections, has raised the ire of of critics of the plan itself and others who are accusing Hochul of flip-flopping for politics.
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Commuters and visitors from New Jersey to the zone will have to pay the toll on top of bridge and tunnel tolls required to enter Manhattan by car, which can be as high as $17.63, but those using the Lincoln and Holland tunnels will get a $3 discount during peak hours. A $1.50 credit will apply to those entering from within New York City via the Queens-Midtown Tunnel or Hugh L. Carey Tunnel.
Trump has been against the congestion fee all along and said during his campaign he would terminate it if he won the election. On Thursday told the New York Post he thinks it is the “most regressive tax known to womankind.”
“It has never worked, but especially so with a city, town, or village that is trying to come back from very rough times, which can certainly be said of New York City. It will put New York City at a disadvantage over competing cities and states, and businesses will flee,” Trump said.
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“Not only is this a massive tax to people coming in, it is extremely inconvenient from both driving and personal bookkeeping standards. It will be virtually impossible for New York City to come back as long as the congestion tax is in effect.”
In response to Trumps comments, Hochul said she’d welcome help from the federal government to offset the toll.
“In your first days in office, don’t eviscerate the public transportation system, help us,” she said. “Fix that first before you say a word about what I’m doing.”
“I would welcome a conversation about the federal government then supplementing that kind of money as well.”
Trump’s New York City home at Trump Tower lies within the Congestion Relief Zone.