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Besides the indictment of Eric Adams, there was perhaps no New York topic that was more head-numbing this year than congestion pricing—that pesky fee that New Yorkers will have to pay to drive through certain parts of the city.
Disagreements between New York and New Jersey about congestion pricing have been fierce, and negotiations are now at a standstill, meaning that we could see yet another suspension of the tolling plan that was set to begin in January, per the New York Times.
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A suspension could result from a lawsuit that New Jersey filed last year to fight the congestion pricing fee for people driving into Manhattan from New Jersey below 60th Street. In its suit, New Jersey argues that the toll doesn’t fully take into account how it would affect pollution levels and traffic on its side.
Although New York offered New Jersey several hundreds of millions of dollars following the lawsuit, it's unclear whether the suit will be settled by the time congestion pricing is supposed to go into effect.
Although the toll for congestion pricing varies depending on several factors, most people would end up paying a $9 toll, while ride shares, including Uber and Lyft, would pay $1.50, which would be added to the total cost of a trip.
Congestion plans have already gone back and forth several times before—earlier this year, a planned $15 congestion fee was halted after many expressed their dissatisfaction. But when Donald Trump (who has been openly hostile towards congestion pricing) won the 2024 presidential election, Governor Kathy Hochul decided to revisit it, worried that Trump’s reinstated presidency will make it impossible to implement, according to Politico.
Up until now, New Yorkers were expecting the $9 fee to start on January 5 and then the originally planned $15 fee to go into effect in 2031. It seems that for now, the fate of congestion pricing is once again uncertain, and that we might still be at just the beginning of this complicated political tale.