Congestion fees are not unusual. Cities like London, Singapore, and Stockholm all charge motorists an amount to drive in town. New York may become the 1st American to do so.
We hate to say these fees are necessary, especially in these times of hate on the car, and blame it for all our worldly woes, but the results of such “taxes” are generally positive.
In London England, traffic dropped 18% and emissions fell by 16% in the year following the implementation of the fees. There’s another reason to do as well.
This Monday, the New York State Legislature may end up deciding on whether or not a congestion charge may levelled against motorists driving in to the Big Apple. That other reason is revenue to the tune a cool $billion, according to a story by the New York Times. Passenger vehicles would be charged $12 and $14 while commercial trucks, more than $25.
Drivers entering Manhattan during peak hours on weekdays would be charged these fees. These same fees could be lowered on weekends and off-peak hours. Those entering via a toll-tunnel or bridge would be issued a credit, or only pay the difference.
The money would apparently go to infrastructure which, if you’ve driven in New City, you know is in terrible shape for the most part. It would also be used for improvements to public transit.
We suspect that many large metropolitan areas will follow suit should NYC start a program and demonstrate its success – how can it not?
