State Legislation Would Dramatically Reform Tolling in New York City

"For the first time, a state legislator is sponsoring legislation in Albany to enact the Move NY toll reform plan," reports Ben Fried. "By creating a more rational toll system in New York City, the plan would significantly reduce traffic and raise revenue to invest in improving transit."

Fried reports that the bill would toll the four East River Bridges and a "cordon" across 60th Street in Manhattan. Fried also provides details of how the bill would set the level of its tolls in those passages and farther away from those highly trafficked crossings. The article also includes details about how the revenue raised by the new tolling system would be allocated (the big ticket item is a $7.3 billion, five-year capital program, but there is a lot more enticing potential for transit and transportation infrastructure advocates).

Governor Cuomo is on the record saying the Move NY reform plan lacks the political support for approval. Fried concludes by discussing the next steps necessary in building the political support to approve the bill.

Readers might want to brush up on the episode from congestion pricing history, when state legislators killed a congestion pricing plan for Manhattan similar to one of the components of the Move NY plan.