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With congestion pricing in New York City approaching reality, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has finalized a plan to distribute traffic more evenly by giving discounts to the city’s most needy drivers and lowering night fares.
The MTA released a report on Friday that said authorities will limit the number of times taxi and hire drivers are collected, give discounts to certain low-income drivers, and offer discounts to those who drive into the area at night and regularly. indicated that it intends to increase Examine small businesses within the fee zone to see if fees are a barrier.
The toll collection program, the first of its kind in the nation, aims to reduce traffic by charging drivers to enter Manhattan’s busiest areas. This month, the Federal Highway Administration provisionally approved an MTA report known as an environmental assessment, revealing ways to mitigate the harm congestion pricing can cause to disadvantaged communities. Cleared the hurdles.
The public has until June 12th to review the report (tens of thousands of pages) before the federal government can finalize the document, paving the way for the MTA to determine the tariff. .
If that happens, the program, which affects drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street, could begin as early as spring 2024, the MTA said.
“Congestion pricing means less traffic, cleaner air, safer streets and better transportation,” the agency’s chairman Yano Lieber said at a press conference.
Advocates, community leaders and urban planning experts celebrated the progress, saying congestion pricing was long overdue.
“For decades, New York City has struggled to eliminate traffic congestion that pollutes the air we breathe, clogs our roads, harms our communities and undermines our economy,” the study said. said Tom Wright, president of the advocacy group Regional Planning Association. group. “We are one step closer to implementing policies that will finally address this issue and benefit drivers, transit users and communities alike.”
Taxis, Lyft, and Uber drivers have criticized the toll system, and an independent study by the MTA found that fares raised by tolls could reduce demand for taxis and hire cars by up to 17 percent, with taxis already on the rise. He points out that it is frustrating for drivers who are struggling to get on board. To. To ease the burden on drivers, the new report says drivers will only be charged once a day.
Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, which calls for better working conditions for taxi and app-based drivers, has vowed to oppose the proposal, arguing that yellow cabs should be excluded.
“It costs thousands of dollars a year for struggling drivers, even once a day,” Desai said. “This is just extorting money from working-class workers who work 60 hours a week to survive.”
The MTA has yet to set a fare structure, but an early version of its report, released in August, said some proposals under consideration included $23 for rush-hour rides to toll zones and $23 to toll zones during off-peak hours. is shown to charge $17 for the ride. EZ Pass holders.
Under the final proposal, drivers earning less than $50,000 a year, or enrolled in certain government-assisted programs, would pay 10 toll plazas per month for the first five years of the program’s coverage period. 25% discount will be given. is enabled.
This discount does not apply to night fares, which are already significantly cheaper. A 2022 study by the New York City Community Service Association, an anti-poverty group, found that only about 5,000 New Yorkers working in poverty regularly pay for congestion charges. found.
The authorities will also ensure that night fares, at least from midnight to 4am, are at least 50% lower than peak fares. The goal is to benefit low-income drivers who can travel during those hours, encourage commercial vehicles to drive during off-peak hours, and spread traffic more evenly throughout the day.
Funds raised through congestion pricing will be used for infrastructure improvements, such as building new elevators in the subway system and modernizing outdated traffic lights to keep trains moving. The program is expected to generate $1 billion annually in improving transportation networks, according to the MTA
When the MTA released its first draft environmental assessment last year, critics were disheartened by evidence that diverted traffic could make the air even more polluted in some of New York City’s poorest neighborhoods. The final version formally pledges millions of dollars to invest in these communities, including $20 million in programs to combat asthma and $10 million to install air filtration units in schools near highways. there is
Authorities will hold meetings with small businesses in congestion toll zones before and after the rollout of the program to assess whether tolls are having a negative impact on commerce, the report said.
The plan has faced the most vocal opposition from suburban residents who fear it could impose an undue burden on people traveling to Manhattan for work.
Some, including New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, have threatened legal action if the plan continues.
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