Congestion Pricing: What Staten Islanders, NYC Residents Need To Know

Congestion Pricing: What Staten Islanders, NYC Residents Need To Know

Editor’s note: Readers learned more about this program, particularly the refusal of a New Jersey judge to grant an injunction against the program.  

According to NYC 311’s Congestion Pricing Program page, when a driver enters the congestion zone, they will be paying a $9 toll between 5am and 9pm, which is completely different than the EZ-Pass only HOV lane rules, which involve actual rush hours (5-9am, 2-7pm traditionally).  At hours that are off-peak to the aforementioned, namely 9pm-5am, the toll will be $2.25.

In addition, drivers should know the following two important details: First, if a driver enters the zone, and then enters one of the tunnels from the area, the toll is reduced by up to $3 for a regular passenger vehicle.  This ONLY applies during peak hours.  Off-peak hours, there is no toll reduction for any of the tunnels and bridges.  The tunnels and bridges to which the discount applies are:

• Lincoln Tunnel
• Holland Tunnel
• Queens-Midtown Tunnel
• Hugh L. Carey Tunnel

Drivers should also be aware that there are only two ways to escape the congestion zone toll: taking exclusively the FDR Drive or the West Side Highway, and not getting on any city street to, for example, escape traffic.  Only these two roadways are free from the toll in this area.  This means that those two roadways are likely to have the most traffic in the area, as once a driver exits them, they will be charged the $9 toll.

It should also be noted that a portion of the tolls collected are supposed to be deposited into a special account from which improvements to bus schedules and timing in the outer boroughs are supposed to be improved.

In addition, low income New Yorkers who need to travel to the congestion relief zone by car can sign up for a discount program.

According to the MTA’s Low Income Discount Program page, the following eligibility and proof of income must be supplied to the agency through the application portal on this page:

Eligibility and credentials

To qualify for LIDP, vehicle owners must have reported a federal adjusted gross income for the previous calendar year of no more than $50,000, or be enrolled in a qualifying government assistance program.

Applicants must provide:

• IRS Form 1040 or Tax Return Transcript and corresponding W-2s from the most recent tax year, or
• Proof of enrollment in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), or Temporary Aid to Needy Families Program (TANF)

Please note that the applicant’s home address must match on all documents.

Enrollment in LIDP requires a valid E-ZPass NY account. If you already have an account, please ensure the license plate on the account is up to date.

Vehicle owners without an E-ZPass NY account must sign up for one before applying for LIDP. Learn more about signing up for E-ZPass NY.

It should be noted, however, that the same page states the following about the discount program, which appears to indicate that in each month, 10 trips must be taken at regular price for the discount to be applied to all subsequent trips in that month:

“The discount is available for passenger vehicles in the peak period. It begins after the first 10 trips in a calendar month, and applies to all peak period trips after that.”

Banner Image: Inside of NYC tunnel. Image Credit – Mykyta Kravčenko 

Staten Islander News Service Staff Writer

This byline indicates that this article was penned by a member/members of the Staten Islander News Organization office team. Our staff writers are the backbone of our newspaper, performing all sorts of important tasks like conducting interviews, investigating leads, besides writing the news stories you see.

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