With the activation of cameras on 60th Street, the Adams administration has proposed a set of regulations to stymie the trickiest New Yorkers, who on social media have already begun to spread the best ploys to avoid paying the toll.
In a joint statement, Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced three new measures that “more clearly establish visibility requirements for license plates:” “Anything, including dirt, rust, glass or plastic covers, substances, or materials, that makes a license plate illegible, obscured, hidden, or distorted” is prohibited.
This proposal seeks to extend the recently updated New York State Highway Code, which provides for a fine of $100 to $500, depending on the severity of the noncompliance, for those who tamper with license plates. However, if a vehicle with obscured license plates is found parked, the fine to be paid will be as low as $50.
For now, the proposal has been recorded in the City Record. Approval and enactment must wait until at least Feb. 6, when it will be discussed publicly.
For years New York authorities have been trying to deal with the problem of “ghost cars,” cars with modified license plates. In December, a joint document released by the Police and Health Departments showed that more than 7,500 illegal vehicles were stopped and more than 700 people arrested for toll evasion at tunnels and bridges in 2024. The New York City Department of Transportation lost more than $100 million in 2023 due to people not paying tolls or transportation tickets, according to a Citizens Budget Commission report. The same is true for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority agency, which is supposed to benefit from congestion pricing revenues to implement infrastructure, but which failed to collect more than $46 million in 2022 for the same reason.
Indeed, on social media, users have begun to share innovative methods of changing license plates with sprays, duct tape, and labels passed off as “protecting privacy,” but also going through parking lots between 60th and 61st Streets to avoid cameras. Most egregious was the case of Vickie Paladino, a member of the City Council, who, on the evening of Jan. 5, posted a tongue-in-cheek comment on X: “Important warning: A high-powered green laser pointer like the ones you find on Ebay for under $30 can destroy a camera sensor. So if you buy one of these lasers, be sure to NOT point them at any cameras, because they could be permanently damaged!”
