Supporters of congestion pricing almost quadrupled the number of New Yorkers opposed to the upcoming tolls during the MTA’s final round of public input, according to an internal MTA document that considered comments made both online and in person.
Fifty percent – numbering 15,604 out of 25,628 comments – were in favor of the proposed $15 peak-hour toll to drive into Manhattan below 60th Street, or the idea of congestion pricing in general. 8,223 comments, or 32%, on the same list were critical of the toll or its cost. As to the agency, 8% more comments were categorized as “neutral, questions, irrelevant to the toll altogether, or otherwise unclear.”
According to the plan, vehicles entering Manhattan at 61st Street and below will have to pay an extra $15, while trucks may have to pay between $24 and $36, depending on their size. Currently, the collection readers are expected to go “live” on June 15 at the latest.
Opponents have long contended that congestion pricing will harm working-class New Yorkers. However, according to data from the Community Service Society, 61 percent of underprivileged outer borough New Yorkers use public transportation, compared to just 2 percent who drive to any portion of Manhattan for employment (and even fewer to the congestion zone).
A great deal of those who drive into Manhattan, according to the data, do so because they can obtain free parking there, either through their employer’s parking lot or by abusing parking signs.
According to an MTA spokesman, the findings of the public comments were consistent with the actual usage of public transportation in the city.
