NYC goes green with plans for congestion charges
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is awaiting results from a commission studying ways to reduce traffic and carbon emissions in Manhattan. The results are likely to include a congestion charge for entering Manhattan, modeled after the congestion charge in London, England.
New York - the “City that Never Sleeps” - is also the “City that Swells”, growing from 1.6mil people in Manhattan alone to 2.8mil during working hours. This says nothing of tourists, who also flock to the borough and its many landmarks. Although New York is known for its public transportation system (72% of Manhattan residents use mass transit, compared with an average of 5% across the rest of the United States), that’s still not enough to quell the traffic.
Bloomberg’s congestion charging plan would put more money into public transportation, while also making a move to cut dangerous pollution levels within the city.
Some of the options under consideration:
- Congestion charge of $8/car and $21/truck for the right to drive below 86th Street into Manhattan during working hours (weekdays, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.). An alternative congestion charge is also being considered, with a cutoff point at 60th street. This would make many popular New York City landmarks, including Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, exempt.
- Tolls at all river crossings, 24 hours a day in both directions.
- License plate restrictions allowing only certain cars below 86th Street during the work week, based on a digit at end of the license plate (Example: 1-2 on Mondays, 3-4 on Tuesdays, etc)
- Raise fees in other areas, including parking permits, parking garages and taxi surcharges
