New York authorities want to charge entry fees for Manhattan

The narrow streets of Manhattan are packed with cars from dawn to dusk. Traveling by car from point A to point B takes so much time here that only those who are in no hurry can afford it. In 2019, New York State decided to hit those traffic jams with a dollar and passed legislation introducing tolls into the busiest part of Manhattan. When it may come into force and how much will the "ticket to Manhattan" cost, the video says VOA.

What the law provides

The most congested area, according to calculations, turned out to be the central and southern parts of Manhattan, about a third of the island, the border was drawn along 60th Street. Anything north of this street (Harlem, Upper East Side and West Side) will be free. Anything further south (the business districts of Midtown, Times Square, Soho, Chelsea, Tribeca, and Wall Street) is for money.

$ 11 for entry on weekdays and $ 4 on weekends should bring the city a billion dollars annually. They were planned to be spent on maintaining the public transport system.

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But the plans confused COVID-19 and Donald Trump, whose administration for a year and a half did not approve this project (the federal government should determine the parameters of the environmental expertise of such initiatives).

Now the new Joe Biden administration can sign this document at any time. But the signed signature will not launch the paid entry program, but will only indicate the parameters of the environmental assessment of the project. And only after this assessment it will be possible to introduce paid entry. If the Biden administration approves the necessary documents, then the project will be launched no earlier than 2022.

All the pros and cons of such an idea

According to the state government's plan, entry fees into a congested area should encourage residents to get there by bus, subway, bicycle or electric scooter. Experts estimate that this program will relieve traffic in Manhattan by 15-20%.

Critics argue that this will make the already expensive Manhattan even more expensive. All taxi services will include the new taxes in their fares.

Moreover, the geography of Manhattan is such that everything has to be brought to the island - from concrete to yogurt. And the trucking industry is raising the issue of price fairness. New York State is already one of the five most expensive trucks to operate, mainly because of the metropolis of the same name, which can only be entered through a toll bridge or tunnel.

And the prices are very high. For example, crossing the George Washington Bridge, which is less than a mile long, can cost a truck $ 100.

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Critics of the idea are also concerned about revenue quotas in the paid zone law. But what will happen when the flow of cars subsides? How will the set rate of return be obtained? Most likely by raising the entry fee. The Freight Forwarders Association fears that the burden will ultimately fall on it.

Proponents of the project say that paid entry and reduced traffic load will help trucks save on working time and on gasoline, which does not have to be burned during downtime in traffic.