Orange County Elected Officials Say NYC Congestion Toll ‘Unfair’

Vehicles wait in traffic to enter Holland Tunnel in Lower Manhattan, New York City on July 2, 2021. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Several local elected officials in Orange County, New York, told The Epoch Times that the proposed New York City congestion toll is unfair to their commuting constituents.

Under the proposed toll structure, people who drive down to southern Manhattan for work will pay an extra $15 per day, though their tunnel fees will be simultaneously credited by a few dollars.

New York state Republican Assemblyman Karl Brabenec said many of his constituents have to drive to the city for work because few desirable public transportation options are available.

To him, the new toll equates to penalizing his constituents for simply going to work.

Mr. Brabenec represents part of Orange and Rockland counties west of the Hudson River, where metro train services into the city trail far behind what is available east of the river.

“I want to see the MTA [Metropolitan Transportation Authority] invest in expanded rail schedules for west of Hudson service,” he said. “Anything else is utterly unfair.”

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus echoed the sentiment.

“Making it more expensive for families, who already pay for substandard MTA train services, to drive in New York City is one more reason people are fleeing New York state,” he told The Epoch Times.

“We need more scheduled train service and a single-seat ride into Manhattan with no transfer at Secaucus to make rail transit as successful as it could be for Orange County residents,” he added.

Orang County Executive Steve Neuhaus presents the 2024 budget at the Erie Hotel and Restaurant in Port Jervis, N.Y., on Sept. 26, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

New York state Democratic Sen. James Skoufis, who represents most of Orange County, told The Epoch Times that more credits should be granted to his constituents to render the new program fair.

“Between the George Washington Bridge and this new toll, $30 for the privilege of driving into Manhattan when my constituents do not have a mass transit alternative is outright theft,” he said.

“The Tappan Zee and George Washington bridges should be credited for Orange and Rockland County drivers, so we are not double-tolled for just driving to the city.”

The NYC congestion toll program was just voted by the MTA board to be eligible for a 60-day public review, during which members of the public can offer comments electronically, via voice mail, or through mail.

Info about the upcoming public review session can be found soon at https://new.mta.info/project/CBDTP.

Following the public review, a series of hybrid (virtual and in-person) public hearings will be held in early 2024.

The MTA board will vote on a final toll schedule at the conclusion of the public hearings.

Meanwhile, according to MTA, vendors have already started building congestion toll infrastructures in the city, with 60 percent of sites completed as of Dec. 6.

1st Congestion Toll in the Nation

Billed as the first congestion toll in the country, the program was jumpstarted by a 2019 state law with a dual goal to ease congestion and finance the NYC public transit system.

The law authorizes a new toll for vehicles entering the Central Business District in Manhattan, defined as south of and inclusive of 60th Street, excluding the FRD Drive, the West Side Highway, and any surface roadway portion of the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connecting to West Street.

The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), an affiliate of MTA, was tasked with developing a toll schedule to be approved by the parent agency.

New York State Assemblyman and Minority Whip Karl Brabenec at his district office in Florida, N.Y., on Jan. 12, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

In November, TBTA announced a series of toll schedule recommendations, which were said to have been informed by thousands of comments received from public hearings, outreach sessions, and online portals.

According to the recommendations, passenger cars are to be charged $15 for entering the Central Business District between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays or between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends.

The toll jumps to between $24 and $36 for trucks and buses; motorcycles are charged $7.50.

‘Many Over the Few’

In formulating toll schedule recommendations, TBTA received several thousand requests for credits, discounts, and exemptions spanning over 120 separate categories.

The principle of “many over the few” was applied in considering such requests; the goal was to keep the toll as low as possible for all by limiting credits granted to a few, according to a TBTA report.

According to the current proposed toll schedule, crossing credits are granted for vehicles entering the Central Business District via four tunnels: Queens-Midtown, Hugh L. Carey, Holland, and Lincoln.

Crossing credits are recommended as follows: $2.50 for motorcycles, $5 for passenger cars, and between $12 and $20 for trucks and buses, depending on sizes.

Most vehicles enjoy a deep nighttime discount.

Qualified low-income drivers can receive a half discount on the daytime toll following the first 10 trips by the same vehicle into the district in a calendar month.

Government vehicles for purposes such as pothole repairs, garbage pick-ups, and snow plowing are exempted from the congestion toll.

New Investments on Port Jervis Line

As for the revenues collected from the congestion toll, after deducting program expenses, 80 percent of the remaining proceeds will be used to improve NYC subways and buses, 10 percent for Long Island Rail Road, and 10 percent for Metro-North Railroad, according to MTA.

Sen. James Skoufis (D-N.Y.) announces $100 million capacity improvements on the Port Jervis Line at Harriman Train Station in Harriman, N.Y., on Aug. 23, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

Metro-North Railroad includes the Port Jervis Line that runs through Orange and Rockland counties before entering Manhattan through New Jersey.

MTA spokesperson Aaron Donovan told The Epoch Times that congestion toll revenues will be used to cover part of the planned $100 million capacity improvements on the Port Jervis Line.

The capital improvement project will see two new passing sidings installed in the Tuxedo and Middletown areas to allow more trains to run on the line each given day.

While lauding the additional investments, Mr. Brabenec said they should not be funded by a congestion toll on his constituents but rather via priority resetting in the existing MTA budget.

Mr. Skoufis told The Epoch Times that while he acknowledged recent MTA moves in favor of Orange County—such as the Port Jervis Line investments and exempting the line riders from a fare hike—he maintained that more credits must be granted to his constituents for the program to be fair.

“[I am] looking for a dollar-for-dollar offset for residents of my district,” he said. “For example, $14.75 to cross the George Washington Bridge as a credit against the congestion toll, so ‘in effect’ only a 25-cent new toll is paid.”