Thousands of Connecticut commuters who traveled into New York City Monday faced the first weekday of congestion pricing.
Over the weekend, New York implemented a toll that would charge drivers based on the size of their vehicle and the time of day. Drivers that enter Manhattan south of 60th Street, including buses and motorcycles, will be charged. Rates can be as much as $9 per vehicle during peak hours.
The congestion pricing fee was implemented to reduce traffic in midtown Manhattan, or the Congestion Relief Zone, to reduce traffic in an area that is normally gridlocked. The MTA estimates that the toll will result in “at least 80,000 fewer vehicles entering the zone daily.”
Jim Cameron is a transit advocate and founder of the Commuter Action Group. He is also a columnist for the Connecticut Mirror. Cameron said Connecticut could do something similar to reduce congestion on its highways.
“For those who choose to drive or must drive there will be fewer vehicles to deal with, traffic should move more quickly, and for nine dollars that's going to actually benefit you by getting you where you want to go a little faster,” Cameron said.
According to the MTA, about 11% of Connecticut drivers, more than 3,000 people, commute into Manhattan. Cameron said the majority of Connecticut commuters take the Metro North train if they are headed into the city.
“If we watch the impact of congestion pricing on New York City in terms of reducing traffic and raising badly needed revenue to support mass transit,” Cameron said. “I think Connecticut should learn from that experience and consider doing something similar.”
Cameron said Interstate 95 and the Merritt Parkway have been a problem for years. He believes placing a toll in these high-traffic areas could mitigate the issues surrounding congestion, but he said it is unlikely that changes will happen anytime soon.
“I have long been in favor of tolls on Connecticut's highways. It’s not been very popular with Connecticut lawmakers, and it's probably not very popular with Connecticut drivers. But I think we’ll see from this experiment that New York is doing that there will be real benefits.”
