Just when you thought living in New York City couldn’t get more costly, another expense is on its way. The new Midtown congestion toll is set to be implemented in the second quarter of 2024. The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) approved New York’s plan to start charging drivers as much as $23 to drive through Manhattan’s central commercial area during peak hours.
The project was developed to help reduce the area’s air pollution and ease the excessive traffic. The toll revenue will also help maintain and improve the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) bus, subway and rail systems.
The ordeal has garnered much attention since this plan would be the first to be implemented in the United States. New York State officials see this as a positive step towards reducing air pollution, less traffic congestion, and increasing mass transit usage. For the average New Yorker, this is just more money coming out of their pocket.
New York City’s cost of living is sky-high, and it’s only been getting worse with record-breaking rent prices and heavy taxes. The state’s minimum wage isn’t cutting it for most residents. While the city is glorified by many across the U.S. and the world, the average New York resident feels the pressure.
These ridiculous costs and expenses, especially for recent graduates, put most people in a tricky situation. New York City is one of the best places to experience college. The vast opportunities, resources and networks make it a perfect place to start adulthood. While the experiences remain the same, the prices continue to increase.
Graduates working in the city now have an extra expense. Those working full-time usually work five days a week. If they live outside Midtown, they must make at least two daily trips. Using the current price of $23, a whole workweek’s toll expense would add up to about $230.
It’s even worse for those living and working in the area. Rent prices start from $3,000 and up. Let’s not forget bills, food, and other living expenses. Adding an extra fee just to get to work makes many post-grad students rethink whether living or finding employment in the city is worthwhile.
Overall, I understand where the officials are coming from with this plan, however, the price needs to be lowered. The notion is already receiving extreme backlash from New York and New Jersey residents working in Manhattan. It’s pretty clear that if state officials keep up with projects like these, New York City will be undesirable to college and postgraduate students because the State has become totally unaffordable.
Luis . G • Oct 27, 2023 at 1:41 pm
Is just another tax over newyorke, is a real burden over us cab & app drive we don’t know jet how we gone make up that “congestion price” !!!
Caleb • Oct 27, 2023 at 9:30 am
The average New Yorker isn’t driving into midtown ?
Rip Kay • Oct 27, 2023 at 9:12 am
Ι live in Manhattan and work on Long Island. I leave the city thus ease congestion. But at night I need to return home. And that is going to cost you dearly. With the skyrocketed costs of living, the politicians that are now on power at the local, state and federal level are punishming those who work hard and contribute to the economy and reward the criminals, the illigal immigrants etc at OUR expense
Phil • Oct 27, 2023 at 8:05 am
The day this congestion pricing kicks in, Manhattan will be dead to me
Rod • Oct 27, 2023 at 6:42 am
Just another tax on the working class. Almost like NYC is gatekeeping and closing the area off to anyone who is a commuter or tourist. I am done with NYC. I can do lots of great things in Philly and it only costs 1.25$ in tolls.
To top it off, taking NJ Transit is actually more expensive than driving into the city
Aleksandr Kazarin • Oct 26, 2023 at 9:04 pm
Just take a bus. Party ? ?
Martin Wallace • Oct 26, 2023 at 8:16 pm
I live in New York City and I ride my bike to get to work. When I can’t ride my bike, I take the subway or the bus. I also own a car and use it for work and recreation. As a resident of NYC, anything we can do to encourage people to switch from driving to other modes of transportation will help make this city a better place to live, both in terms of traffic congestion and in terms of air quality. In the short term, it will be disruptive for some, but in the long term, we’ll see some of the benefits that other cities like London have seen.
Think of this as being like social security. We like knowing we’re going to get a monthly check when we hit retirement. Not many people want to do away with that. Ronald Reagan once referred to a tax like this as a user fee. We pay the fee so that we can improve our roads, bridges and public transportation. (Yes, some of these funds will be used to improve roads and bridges).
Having 6 lane roads and free parking along the sidewalk doesn’t make sense in a dense area like Manhattan, so it’s time to rethink this. It’ll be messy but, in the long run, it’ll make life better.
Read this in 5 years and see if it turned out that way.
Edward Arata • Oct 26, 2023 at 3:49 pm
Sounds like another disastrous plan to subsidize the MTA.
How much more money do we have to pay to bailout the MTA?
Bob DeBlob • Oct 26, 2023 at 3:47 pm
It’s not a congestion tax, it’s a corruption tax. The MTA makes no secret that this is a cash grab. Watch how all the bigshots calling for the congestion tax exempt themselves from it.
Brad • Oct 26, 2023 at 2:37 pm
This tax will likely nor reduce congestion or bring tbe $1 billion projected.
It is crazy tgat the mta wants to issue $15 billion in new debt based upon this fee without knowing how much will actually come in.
If reducing congeation is goal then 50% of Uber, Lyft… druvers should be banned from area – they are empty half the time studies show. Perhaps they have to pay one time fee like taxis to drive in Manhattan – that might actually raise $4-$5 billion. A win/ win especially since more would take mass transit tgen too
Strve adler • Oct 26, 2023 at 12:44 pm
As usual this is just another tax on the people of ny instituted by the federal govt and Pete Buttigeg and our local politicians failed to defend its voters.
The mta is a corrupt agency that always fails and will misuse the funds.
We will look back in a few years to see that this was another failure by the mta.
The real losers will be nyc residents retailers and business that mta failed to consider who live where the congestion pricing starts.
I expect to see more empty stores and less traffic.
Nyc loses as usual
John • Oct 26, 2023 at 12:20 pm
if you care about people health why are you starting in the city,when it is known that the Bronx have the worst asthma rate because of pollution from cars and trucks,more cars and trucks travel though the Bronx daily not the city, for some reason the city is over every other boro when it comes to health, The 2nd avenue subway station was supposed to come up to the poor neighborhoods never made,again the Manhattan gets 1st dibs,and to put in this perspective, Manhattan is called the city,the city is five boroughs not Manhattan to show you discrepancies between rich and poor people The poor people will suffer as long as they fix rich people’s neighborhood, sad but it’s true
Michael A Acosta • Oct 26, 2023 at 12:03 pm
Congestion prices will only fill mta pockets it does nothing to help anyone else in the city. the working class has truly become the working poor
Alex • Oct 26, 2023 at 11:16 am
More taxes, more money for MTA to waist
Gurdass • Oct 26, 2023 at 11:01 am
Don’t still money from people’s
Stop
Jennifer • Oct 26, 2023 at 11:00 am
I’ve been living in NYC my whole life (more specifically, Soho), the changes over time makes me want to vomit. The entire city is completely destroyed and looks and smells like a cesspool. It’s SO expensive that most people can’t process it! The so called “officials” who pass these laws don’t care about the people!!!! They care about MONEY!!!! WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY ANY AMOUNT TO GET BACK TO MY APARTMENT FROM WORK, SHOPPING, VISITING FRIENDS, SEEING MY GRANDCHILDREN??? WHY DOES ANYONE HAVE TO PAY TO CROSSOVER 60TH STREET! THIS NONSENSE STARTED WITH BIKE LANES ALL OVER CITY STEETS A HIGHWAYS THAT CREATE UNTOLD DANGER AND CONGESTION. ALSO, DELIBERATELY CREATING RIDICULOUS TRAFFIC PATTERNS ARE CREATING CONGESTION. THESE POLITICIANS ARE EVIL AND DECEITFUL. THEY NEED TO GO AND TAKE THEIR SINISTER AGENDAS WITH THEM. THEY WANT TO “REINVENT AND REIMAGINE” NEW YORK CITY, BUT WE WERE PERFECTLY FINE WITHOUT ANY OF THEM AND THEIR GREEDY INTENTIONS.
UWSer • Oct 26, 2023 at 12:00 pm
still voting Democrat?
Sam • Oct 26, 2023 at 10:55 am
For me it’s a resident tax. I live two blocks from the Lincoln tunnel. It begins to feel like jail. In order to get out of jail for work or recreation, I have to pay once I return. I literally never drive in the city, except from the tunnel to my parking, two blocks. I have a weekend getaway, which will now be “weekend don’t come back”. If my legal residence is in the congestion box, I should not have to pay a daily fee to just park in the box.
Dariusz • Oct 26, 2023 at 10:43 am
Thieves running and ruining NYC !!!
Dennis Shadbera • Oct 26, 2023 at 10:26 am
This congestion is produced by double parking, parking in no parking anytime, taxi’s, construction taking out sidewalks and driving lanes, trucks stopping in the middle of the street and closing off access, bridges constantly cutting out lanes for “maintenance” usually multi bridges at the same time, Koscisco bridge just built for 1 billion dollars has closed off half the lanes for “changing out brand new cables”, allowing huge 50 foot delivery trucks into the small downtown area. If pollution is such a priority why congestion pricing only downtown and not midtown, Eastside and other well to do areas?
Hud • Oct 26, 2023 at 1:37 pm
It is obvious that the hard working people of New York are being targeted by the greedy money grabbing officials.. implementing an outrageous fee..I hope it backfire and people boycott stop coming to NYC.
Amy • Oct 26, 2023 at 9:54 am
I worked for the city for 40 years. It’s appalling that had I not retired, I’d be punished financially for the privilege of serving the people of NYC!!
Timothy L Horner • Oct 26, 2023 at 9:48 am
This project is outrageous and should be stopped immediately !!!!
How do the leadership of NYC think for one minute this is healthy, another money grab fleecing the pockets of the middle class and poor. I moved to Brooklyn in 1980 and resided there for 18 years then I moved to NJ. Now it seems to be time to leave the NY Metro area all together.
Laura Jones • Oct 26, 2023 at 9:25 am
Most recent college graduates who live in NYC do not have or need cars. While it is true that the cost of living in NYC is excessively high I would guess that most recent graduates who are able to afford to live in the city come from well-to-do families who can bankroll them..And again, I am.not sure that many — if any — recent college grads keep a car in NYC.
Domingo Alemany • Oct 26, 2023 at 9:13 am
It’s all about the money if they are concerned about air pollution and other issues why not take the money and invest towards the issue. where is the money going to show us a break down and how you going to fix the issue?
Resident • Oct 26, 2023 at 8:54 am
Hope NYC goes broke trying to make all this money from tax payers. People will steer clear of NYC altogether. Trucks that makes deliveries will pass onto consumers and the outer boroughs will reap the rewards. Brooklyn and Queens has the same or better venues and shopping is cheaper. Scooters and electric mopeds will take over. Charging for vehicles and will create another problem.
Sam • Oct 26, 2023 at 8:43 am
This is rip you off not gonna be any food delivery not gonna be any construction delivery is gonna be a problem for the city to deliver everything. This is bullshit.
Monica Celestin • Oct 26, 2023 at 7:19 am
New York governor wants more money for transit but she forgot about handicapped people who can’t go up & down stairs of the subway. Some of those people use their cars for doctors visits in the city & don’t have a high income. I’m one of them. Do I have to change my longtime
doctors to avoid this unaffordable tolls? Hmmm!