The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the six-member Traffic Mobility Review Board, who are responsible for deciding how much drivers will be charged under the MTA’s new congestion pricing program, met for the first time Wednesday.
Talks about recommended prices, possible exemptions and discounts under the program were a focal point of the meeting after the Federal Highway Administration greenlit the plan. Drivers may be charged anywhere from $9 to $23 to enter below 60th Street in Manhattan. What’s still unknown is how much the tolls will be and the exemptions for drivers crossing the Hudson River.
“I see this as a huge win for public transit riders, a huge win for the environment, a huge win for equity,” said Kate Slevin, executive vice president with the nonprofit Regional Plan Association.
But Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5th) said, “It’s like the gang who can’t shoot straight over there,” he said. “The worst run mass transit system in the entire country, they’re just bleeding and they just need money.”
