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Typical hustle and bustle of passers-by, delivery trucks and cars in New York City: a city toll is to be levied here from mid-June
Photo: Bloomberg / Getty Images
London and Stockholm already have them, as does Singapore - but in America New York would be a pioneering city: a city toll is to be levied from mid-June. The New York transportation authority MTA has now decided on the final tariffs with a large majority, as the New York Times reports. Accordingly, it will now cost $15 a day for cars to drive in a zone that extends across the southern part of Manhattan up to 60th Street. The aim is to reduce traffic and raise a billion dollars a year to invest in local public transport.
According to the newspaper, the decision was preceded by decades of back and forth. This was also because some of the many commuters to Manhattan do not have access to public transportation. Five years ago, the state of New York finally approved tolls for cities in principle.
However, there are currently six lawsuits filed against the plans by politicians, residents and governments. According to the report, the most important decision is a lawsuit by the state of New Jersey, which will be heard on April 3rd and 4th. Based on a study, the authorities in New York expect the number of vehicles entering the toll area to decrease by 17 percent. In addition, the total number of kilometers driven will be reduced in 28 districts.
The full toll should be due between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. during the day, and only from 9 a.m. on weekends. At night it will be reduced to $3.75. The toll will be $24 for small trucks and $7.50 for motorcycles. A surcharge of $1.25 is charged for taxi rides to the area. However, these tariffs only apply to the E-ZPass electronic toll system, for which recording devices are already installed. Anyone who does not use the system will face tolls of $22.50 for their car.
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