
#Gridlock nyc driver
On a westbound trip through the Bronx, a driver would pay an $18 toll on the Triborough Bridge, Whitestone Bridge or Throgs Neck Bridge and then an additional $4 toll on the New Jersey Turnpike to avoid the toll, for a total of $22.Īdvocates for the congestion toll are grappling with what to do to ensure that a predicted increase in truck traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway doesn’t come to pass when congestion pricing begins as early as January 2024.
#Gridlock nyc drivers
Meanwhile, westbound truck drivers headed to New Jersey through Manhattan pay $18 if they go through the Queens Midtown Tunnel and nothing at the Lincoln Tunnel, potentially giving truckers more of an incentive to avoid a full toll in a world with congestion pricing.

At those prices, truck drivers aren’t incentivized to drive through Manhattan, even if they would deal with slightly less traffic on the trip.Įastbound truck drivers currently pay $44 at the Lincoln Tunnel when heading into the city, and an additional $18 if they choose to take the Queens Midtown Tunnel instead of the Queensboro Bridge.

Graphic: MTAīut according to Schwartz, there are still increases in truck traffic in the scenarios with credits because large trucks are still tolled between $42 and $82. The MTA’s various truck toll prices in the congestion pricing scenarios it studied. The amount of trucks predicted to cut through the Bronx in the four scenarios where some kind of credit is given for trucks are all lower than the prediction in Scenario A, known as the base plan, in which no credits or exemptions are given out. The MTA has modeled a pair of scenarios in which truck drivers are given credits for either just the tunnels into and out of Manhattan, or for the tunnels and over every bridge north of the congestion zone. The opposite is more likely, albeit very small in number, due to improved traffic speeds in the CBD,” he said. “There is little to no demand for trucks shifting from the CBD if a credit is given at the Lincoln Tunnel. Under Schwartz’s thinking, truck tolls shouldn’t be more than 2.2 times higher than whatever the toll is for private cars, which under the various congestion pricing scenarios range from $9 to $23 for peak-hour tolls. “Setting the truck rate to be equal to, or less than, that at MTA bridges between Queens and the Bronx would minimize any diversions.” “The only way congestion pricing would send trucks to the Cross Bronx is if the congestion charge exceeded current tolls,” said Schwartz. Longtime congestion pricing proponent and former New York City Traffic Commissioner “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz says that the city and state should give truck drivers a financial incentive to not cut through the Bronx in an effort to avoid the new tolls.Ī slight increase in truck traffic in The Bronx is one of the potential negative impacts of congestion pricing, the MTA revealed in its environmental assessment, but the numbers of trucks - at most 700 to the 27,000-a-day volume - can be solved, experts say. and abroad.Perhaps toll credits will fix this impasse. It can happen, they said, thanks in a big way to vaccinations helping to open the city back up to tourists from the U.S. They have to take in far more than that in sales. “It’s great to get back to some kind of normalcy,” Diaz said after entering the open-air market packed with stalls selling a wide array of goods.Įach one of the dozens of booths at the market represents anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 in rent, or more, according to vendors on site. He was at the Union Square Holiday Market, which has returned to New York, after being put on hiatus last year. Still, some New Yorkers - including some merchants and business leaders - said the heavier traffic volume is a sign that New York is back from the depths of the pandemic.

The designation, of course, means that traffic volume is even more heavy than usual, resulting in headache-provoking traffic jams.
#Gridlock nyc series
MIDTOWN, Manhattan - Thursday was the first of a series of Gridlock Alert Days for the rest of the holiday season. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated.
