The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on Sunday launched the country’s first congestion pricing program, charging a toll for motorists to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, formally known as the Central Business District (CBD) – and now also referred to as the Congestion Relief Zone — as required by the State in April 2019 to reduce traffic congestion and raise needed revenue to improve public transportation. The program launched Sunday morning, Jan. 5, at 12:00:01 a.m. For auto drivers using E-ZPass, the peak toll for vehicles entering the CRZ is $9.00 and the overnight rate is $2.25.
Congestion pricing charges will automatically be added to E-ZPass accounts or bills sent by mail for those without E-ZPass.
More information on the toll rates and the program is available at CongestionReliefZone.mta.info.
A study commissioned by the Partnership for New York City in 2018 found that average traffic speeds of just 7 m.p.h. led to 117 hours per person per year wasted sitting in gridlock and annual economic costs – ultimately passed on to consumers – of $20 billion a year. Those trends have continued, with New York currently ranked as the most congested city in the world, as reported last year by the New York Post, putting New York in the same position as London was before officials there implemented congestion pricing in 2003.
Yet the Congestion Relief Zone is also the most transit-rich area in the United States, with 94 subway stations, 99 MTA bus routes and 2,500 regional/commuter trains per day on the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, NJ Transit and PATH, allowing more than 85% of commuters into the zone to rely on transit.
The toll is projected to lead to 80,000 fewer vehicles entering the Congestion Relief Zone every day, resulting in less traffic, cleaner air, and safer streets, while providing $15 billion in funding for critical transit investments to improve the lives of the millions of people who rely on the MTA every day.
“The Congestion Relief Zone has been in operation since midnight – 1,400 cameras, over 110 detection points, over 800 signs and 400 lanes of traffic and it’s all gone smoothly,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “We want to encourage trucks to do more deliveries at night, we want improvements to vehicle speeds especially for buses, we want to make sure that emergency response vehicles can get where they are going faster, and I hope drivers will take another look at the speed and convenience of mass transit.”
“Thanks to congestion pricing, MTA Construction & Development will undertake a generational investment to transform public transit in New York,” said MTA Construction & Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. “We’re ready to get these projects started and we’re ready to deliver them better, faster, and cheaper than ever before.”
“The start of congestion pricing is a historic moment for the New York region, the nation, and MTA Bridges and Tunnels, who has shepherded the program since the beginning and will oversee its tolling operations,” said MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Cathy Sheridan. “Congestion pricing will not only benefit mass transit users, but less congestion means safer streets for both pedestrians and motorists – aligning with our own efforts of moving traffic safely and efficiently on our nine iconic crossings. And as a reminder, the program has officially started but it’s never too late to sign up with E-ZPass for the lowest toll rate, and for those who are eligible, any credits or discounts.”
Eighty percent of the revenue generated will go to capital improvements on NYC Subways and Buses, 10% to Metro-North Railroad and 10% percent to the Long Island Rail Road. Additional projects supported by congestion pricing funds are detailed in an online summary and map.
A phased-in toll plan that starts at 40% of the eventual toll enables the MTA to issue $15 billion in bonds to fund the MTA’s 2020-2024 Capital Plan and advance critical capital projects helping subway, bus, commuter rail riders and motorists alike. After the pause on congestion pricing was lifted, the MTA exercised the option to purchase 265 zero-emission buses on Nov. 27. With congestion pricing having begun, the MTA has already started to advance additional capital projects, with these five the first to move:
- Second Avenue Subway Phase 2: The MTA issued a request-for-proposals to the contracting community for Phase 2’s major tunneling contract on Dec. 24.
- Modernization of signals line in Brooklyn: The MTA issued a request for qualifications to the contracting community on Dec. 30. The modernization will allow the MTA to operate trains more frequently and more reliably on the line serving 640,000 people per day.
- Subway station accessibility upgrades: The MTA issued a request for qualifications to the contracting community on Dec. 30 to upgrade three subway stations, Gates Av , Briarwood and Parsons , to make them accessible to all in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Reconstruction of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge’s ramps in Brooklyn: The MTA issued a request-for-proposals to the contracting community on Dec. 16.
- Dehumidification of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge’s main cables to extend their life: The MTA issued a request for proposals to the contracting community on Dec. 20.
Congestion Pricing moving forward also unlocks critical investments in MTA Bridges & Tunnels that were had been put on hold pending the start of the program. The MTA is already moving forward on the first two:
Train and Bus Service Enhancements
Subway. Subway service continues to deliver the best on-time performance in the last 10 years. And between July 2023 and July 2024, New York City Transit increased off-peak service across 12 subway lines:
- On July 2, 2023, weekend service frequency was increased on the and lines. The service increase would have trains arriving every eight to nine minutes instead of every 10 to 11 minutes.
- On Aug. 7, 2023, trains began running every eight minutes instead of 10 minutes on weekdays.
- On Aug. 12, 2023, weekend service was enhanced on the and lines, with trains coming approximately six minutes instead of every eight minutes.
- On Aug. 28, 2023, weekday service was enhanced on the and lines, with trains arriving every eight minutes instead of every 10 minutes between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the and between 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the on weekdays.
- On Dec. 17, 2023, evening service was increased on the and lines, and midday service was increased on the line.
- On July 1, 2024, NYC Transit brought service frequencies to every eight minutes on the weekday midday and evening service on the and lines, and added weekend service on the and lines to bring trains to operate every 10 minutes.
Buses. Starting in the spring, the MTA will enhance service across 24 routes in all five boroughs: eight express bus routes and 16 local bus routes.
Additionally, the MTA is redesigning all the boroughs’ bus networks to develop a better bus network that improves reliability, speeds up commutes and better meets the travel patterns of today and future riders. Most recently, the Agency announced the latest milestone for the Queens Bus Network Redesign with release of the Proposed Final Plan Addendum, and the MTA Board is expected to vote on the plan this winter.
The Staten Island Express Bus Network Redesign and the Bronx Local Bus Network Redesign have been successfully implemented with notable service increases during off-peak periods and other service improvements, resulting in an increase of 6% ridership since launch. In coordination with NYC DOT, implementation of busways has led to 27% increases in bus speed and up to 60% increases when combined with other Select Bus Service (SBS) treatments.
Long Island Rail Road. With the opening of Grand Central Madison, systemwide service increased an overall 41%: over 77,000 more trains a year, about a 35 % increase at eastern Queens stations, 30% increase in Brooklyn trains (55% increase in weekend service), and 50% increase in reverse peak service. A $7 peak City Ticket was introduced for travel on the LIRR and Metro-North Railroad between commuter railroad stations within city limits, and an LIRR Far Rockaway ticket, offering more cost-conscious fare options.
Metro-North Railroad. To increase transit options and encourage ridership, Metro-North has increased service in the Bronx, which is complemented by discounts offered by the $7 peak CityTicket, and continues to deliver on-time performance levels of 98%. Metro-North increased monthly discounts by 78% to 90% on UniTickets covering travel on the ferries and buses that cross the Hudson River to connect riders with Metro-North’s Hudson Line, and slashed parking rates by 25% for Orange and Rockland residents using Metro-North’s garage in North White Plains