New York's first-ever traffic toll makes drivers pay for Manhattan entry

New Yorks transport system is getting a big-time change with its first-ever congestion fee. Starting Jan 5th 2024‚ drivers will pay $9 to enter lower Manhattan (a move that makes NYC the first US city with such a system)

The citys transport group MTA changed their mind about the $15 fee they wanted last summer; now its less but still aims to fix traffic issues. The new rule says you pay once-per-day if youre going south of 60th Street in Manhattan during day-time hours

Bigger vehicles get different rates: trucks and buses will pay up-to $21.60‚ while ride-share cars pay $1.50 per trip (taxis only pay 75 cents). Night-time drivers get a sweet deal - 75% off the regular price; plus anyone just using ring highways dont need to pay

Governor Kathy Hochul brought this plan back to life after putting it on hold about 6 months ago. The system looks a lot like what London did back in 03 - they charge around $19 now. NYC hopes itll help them borrow $15B for making buses and trains better

Right now more than 700k cars drive into central Manhattan daily making average speeds super-slow at 7 miles per hour. MTA thinks their new fee will cut traffic by 17% and remove 80k cars from the zone: which means better air and faster trips for everyone. But they still need a thumbs-up from US transport officials and have some court stuff to deal with first