New York first US city to have congestion charge
Kyiv • UNN
New York City has launched a congestion charge south of Central Park. Drivers will pay up to $9 during peak hours, and trucks and buses will pay from $14.40 to $21.60.
The first congestion charge scheme for vehicles in the US has come into effect in New York City, UNN reports citing the BBC.
Details
Car drivers will pay up to $9 per day, while rates for other vehicles will vary.
"The system has been in operation since midnight (05:00 GMT on Sunday)," Gianno Lieber, CEO of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), told reporters.
Four hundred lanes of traffic are now covered by more than 1,400 cameras, more than 110 detection points and more than 800 signs, he said.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is among those who oppose the scheme, but Lieber said he is confident that the agreements with the government "will survive a change of administration.
The toll zone covers the area south of Central Park, including such famous places as the Empire State Building, Times Square, and the financial district around Wall Street.
The scheme aims to alleviate New York City's notorious traffic problems and raise billions for the public transportation network.
Most drivers will pay $9 once a day to enter the "congestion zone" during rush hours and $2.25 at other times.
Small trucks and non-commuter buses will pay $14.40 to enter Manhattan during rush hour, while larger trucks and tour buses will pay $21.60.
A few hours after the scheme went into effect, traffic along the northern edge of the "congestion zone" at 60th Street and 2nd Avenue was busy, the Associated Press reports.
"Drivers will start to see the tolls on their E-Z Pass accounts in a few days," Lieber later said.
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