Thursday, February 29, 2024

Today is the day to stop the MTA's congestion tax scheme

 


 

Queens Chronicle

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will host four hybrid hearings on the proposed rates for congestion pricing beginning at the end of this month.

The hearings will be hosted in person at 2 Broadway in Manhattan in the William J. Ronan 20th Floor Board Room. People may also register to participate remotely via Zoom or telephone.

The hearings are 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 29; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, March 1; and both 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m. on Monday, March 4.

The proposed toll rates can be found online at bit.ly/42Hts2F. The MTA hopes to impose them starting in June, though several lawsuits have be filed to block the plan.

Each public hearing will be livestreamed on the MTA YouTube channel at MTA Live — YouTube and on the project website: mta.info/CBDTP.

The hearings also will be accessible online at mta.info/CBDTP. Comments can be submitted online, or by email, mail, fax, or voicemail message through Monday, March 11. Comments can be submitted in the following ways:

• Online: contact.mta.info/s/forms/CBDTP;

• Email: cbdtp.feedback@mtabt.org;

• Mail: CBD Tolling Program, 2 Broadway, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10004;

• Phone: (646) 252-7440; and

• Fax: Send to (212) 504-3148 with Attention to CBDTP Team.

The MTA said all comments will be afforded equal weight and will be recorded and submitted for review.

Members of the public who wish to speak at the hearings are required to register in advance online, by calling the Public Hearing Hotline at (646) 252-6777, or in person.

Registration will open one week before the start time of each hearing and will close 30 minutes after the meeting starts. Speakers will be provided two minutes. American Sign Language and CART Captioning Services will be available.

The stated purpose of the tolls is to raise $1 billion per year to fund the MTA’s capital projects budget; and to move traffic congestion and pollution out of Midtown and Downtown Manhattan by charging tolls for any vehicle entering the Central Business District at or below 60th Street.

The base rate is $15 per car during peak hours and $24 or $36 per truck depending on the size. Overnight discounts and other variations apply.

Originally set for April, the implementation could be delayed by any or all of four federal lawsuits that have been filed since.

 

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would rather see my tax dollars go to the sheeple than Ukraine

Anonymous said...

One thing the MTA doesn't want anyone to realize is that the illegal immigrants won't have to pay a penny of this, only the legitimate taxpayers.

Anonymous said...

Money grab, nothing more.

Anonymous said...

Everyone with a brain knows this is a new tax.

Joe said...

Its not just a tax scheme but a Trojan that can be used for many things in the future.
Its designers know if they cant get the congestion pricing scam going the equipment (as in all those ultra high definition cameras) will be used for traffic tickets.
All you got to so is change the software and data bases.
The city wants to kill private ownership of cars, SUVs and trucks.
How long before entry to anyplace in Manhattan is electric vehicles, e-scooters and bicycles only.

It can also work as both, and who knows what else. --As in data can be used for big brother bullshit, targeted advertising in the future.
Drive down the theatre block and have a play advertisement pop up on your cellphone?

Of course we will be told "Its for our own good" "it for security blah blah blah"
NYC cops & Detectives don't even look at Ring doorbell camera recordings unless somebody was killed or some illegal immigrant with 8 violent priors got "brained" and hurt breaking into a automobile or home.
They did this shit in London, tried to bring congestion pricing got overruled then the switched the system over as traffic tickets and spy cameras.

As in:
Get you ass tossed into The Old Bailey for defending yourself against the usual nutter or illegal immigrant trying rob or to gut you with a knife.

Why cant anybody see this install is a Trojan, that's why the city doesn't care about costs or if congestion pricing is deemed legal or not.
Either way they will suck $$$ off motorists.
I believe the only goal here was to get the road sensors, optics, data and communication infrastructure installed.

-Joe

Anonymous said...

Well you voted for it nyc. You get what you vote for. Nyc elected the wicked witch to be governor so now you're paying for it

GopGeorge said...

Another tax cut for the rich will put a stop to this.

Anonymous said...

There is a Trojan Horse ploy we can use. It costs too much to set up a toll collection scheme.
But one already exists on the bridges. If they remove all crossings tolls and instead
employ a uniform toll which they can then oretent to call "Congestion Pricing" they give us what we want and still they can pretend to have won. I had friends who died trying to take the cheaper crossing, so I always advocated having the same toll everywhere.

Anonymous said...

The way Dubway wrote COngestion Pricing it is supposed to be as close to real time, charging you for contributing to congestion. THis is not real time, the time zones are two wide, at least they should be three hours, not twelve. Just like the left did with the valid right wing standards of common core, these guys have distorted the original meaning of this legislation. In fact, this is a wide open opportunity for taking them to the Supreme COurt.

Anonymous said...

Will the commie protesters have to pay congestion pricing?

Anonymous said...

Good Evening - I live in Bayside and I work either remotely or in Lower Manhattan. I never once drove to work in 42 years on the job. Parking costs are silly at work even when I started in 1982. The Express Bus - 900 ft from my door - is great if I ever go to Midtown. The Q16 and 7 and 4/5 are great if I go to Downtown and only costs $2.75. If I need to go to a mall I go to Long Island. I go to Coney Island, again, subway. I go to the Bronx Zoo, Q44 door to door. I go to various Manhattan museums - all Q16 / subway. I go to the Hamptons once in a while (drive) and do not go to the Jersey shore. For AC I take a bus, much more relaxing than driving. For concerts, subway to MSG. Citifield and YS, all subway. For vacations I take a plane. I am almost 60. All of my medical is in North Queens / Nassau and the providers are excellent, no need for Manhattan. This means that I would never pay a congestion charge ever. Why should I be against this charge? Do I care about regular drivers to Manhattan? No. Why can't they take mass transit? Despite what everyone says, I think mass transit runs very well, I ride it at least 6x / week. The privileged government employees who get free parking are squealing like little pigs. Let them cry. I am private sector (read - capitalism) (read - earn my keep ever month). I am a registered Republican for 42 years and consistently vote Republican (Vicky Palladino). I am ALL FOR congestion pricing! Why can't a cop / firefighter / teacher / city bureaucrat take the subway? Tourists who insist on driving here should have no issue with a congestion charge. Also, I drive 25 and I am careful to not run red lights. Why should I speed? Most of my driving distances are less than 2 miles. Bring it on. I never got / paid a speeding / red light fine. Am I missing something?

Anonymous said...

Rich keep getting richer. The Middle Class is dying. The working class is stagnant, and the poor are getting poorer in America. Socialism at its finest.

Anonymous said...

That's right. SUrveilance state. They could have monitored covid from our sewage without interfering with our daily lives, but they instead wanted to use our cell phones to track everyone we had contact with.

You can do congestion pricing by making all tolls uniform and raising or lowering tolls real time by how many people have crossed into Manhattan from the same toll booths in the last two hours. That's right, your toll should depend on how many crossed in the two hours before you. A lot simpler than their hare brained scheme.

In such a way people and employers will learn to stagger work hours to lessen congestion. And by the way, congestion pricing should also apply to mass transit ridership. Remember off-peak fares? Subway at 7 am or pm should be seven bucks, at 2 am or pm it should be just a buck.

Anonymous said...

I'm busy Trying to adjust to Bidenflation.