New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the state would continue plans to enact congestion pricing tolls in New York City, drawing the ire of the Trucking Association of New York (TANY).
In a news release Thursday, Hochul said the plan would resume implementation in early January. This comes after the governor indefinitely paused the tolls after the TANY filed a federal lawsuit against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to halt them in May.
The reformulated plan lowers tolls by 40% from the original proposal for all vehicles entering the city’s Central Business District in Manhattan, south of 60th Street. The MTA has published a map of the area impacted by tolls here.
“As I said from the start, a $15 toll was just too high in this economic climate,” Hochul said in the news release. “That’s why our plan cuts the daytime toll to $9 for cars. By getting congestion pricing underway and fully supporting the MTA capital plan, we’ll unclog our streets, reduce pollution and deliver better public transit for millions of New Yorkers.”
“Small,” one-unit trucks will pay $14.40 to enter the area, while “large,” two-unit trucks will be charged $21.60. The regular toll rates will apply from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. A 75% discounted overnight toll outside those time frames aims to reduce diversions and encourage off-hours truck deliveries, according to the release.
TANY released a statement following the announcement, saying the “new vision still fails to account for the critical role trucks play” in New York’s economy. The statement said that under the revised toll structure, vehicles entering the business district will be charged no matter how frequently they travel into and out of the zone – something that could be a detriment to trucks entering and leaving the zone.
“While political leadership is now saying the right things about bringing down the cost of living in the state, New Yorkers should not be fooled by the rhetoric: this new congestion pricing plan is still bad for the economy, will still cause supply chain disruptions, and will still raise the price of goods upon which households across the five boroughs and its surrounding suburbs rely,” said TANY President Kendra Hems in the emailed statement. “As such, the Trucking Association of New York will continue using every tool at our disposal to fight this plan and deliver relief for hardworking operators and the New Yorkers counting on their services.”
“The fundamental issue remains the same as before: the disproportionate pricing structure, which once again unfairly targets trucking operators, is a burdensome regulatory framework and cost imposition on the industry responsible for transporting 90% of goods in New York State,” she continued.”
Hems said TANY will follow through on its previously filed lawsuit to try to stop the toll plan from going forward.
FreightWaves reached out to the American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association for comment.