by: AIA New York
AIANY, along with other transit and environmental advocacy groups, sent a letter to the Traffic Mobility Review Board (TMRB) as part of the Congestion Pricing Now Coalition to express our support of New York’s Central Business District (CBM) Tolling Program and present five recommendations to the TMRB on tolls and exemptions for the program.
The recommendations to the TMRB are as follows:
- Use bridge and tunnel toll credits to reduce excess travel, particularly through environmental justice communities
- On for-hire vehicles, assess a per-ride surcharge paid by the passenger, rather than a once per day toll paid by the driver
- Make commuter buses, both public and private, exempt from tolls
- Grant no additional exemptions besides commuter buses and legislatively mandated exemptions
- Charge trucks and large vehicles pay a per-axle toll.
At the end of June, the Federal Highway Administration completed the environmental review of New York’s congestion pricing program and issued a Finding of No Significant Impact. With the environmental review complete, congestion pricing is primed to move ahead to implementation. TMRB is now tasked with determining the toll structure and potential exemptions.