WORLD / ASIA-PACIFIC
NYC mulls congestion charge in 2023
Published: Aug 11, 2022 09:03 PM
New York City (NYC) could introduce a traffic congestion charge of up to $23 a day late in 2023, which a study released on Wednesday projected would reduce the number of cars entering Manhattan by 15 percent to 20 percent.

The city wants to charge a daily variable toll for vehicles entering or remaining within the central business district.

NYC, which has the most congested US traffic, would become the first major US city to follow London, which began a similar charge in 2003.

New York City lawmakers approved the plan in 2019, and it was originally projected to start in 2021. But the federal government did not take any action.

The Federal Highway Administration, which must approve the move, said on Wednesday it approved the required environmental assessment. The agency will review public comments submitted by September 9.

It did not give a timeline for its decision, but the ­Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the fee could come into effect up to 10 months after approval is granted. That period would be for system design and implementation.

Passenger vehicle drivers could pay $9 to $23 to enter at peak times, while overnight tolls could be as little as $5. Drivers could apply existing bridge and tunnel tolls to congestion charges.

The environmental assessment released on Wednesday found the charge would cut traffic, improve air quality, make buses more reliable and increase transit use by 1-2 percent. The toll would generate $1-1.5 billion a year and support $15 billion in debt financing for mass transit improvement.