Program kicked off after years of roadblocks, but some worry government won’t come through on transit promises. New York City concluded its first week with its congestion pricing program, which aims to reduce traffic in Manhattan and increase funding for the city’s public transit, after years of roadblocks and concerns about a public backlash.
Some New York City residents said they worry the government won’t come through on their transit promises and instead will just make driving more expensive for workers who can’t afford the additional costs. “My clients are not particularly millionaires,” said Jan Lee, a contractor who lives in Chinatown and owns and renovates residential properties in Manhattan and Brooklyn. His plumbers and other subcontractors must drive commercial vehicles into the congestion pricing zone, which will force him to pay them more and charge clients more, he said.
“They are working-class people that are renovating their home, and oftentimes, my people that I serve are left out of this conversation.”. Kevin Graney, a software engineer, lives on the Upper West Side, outside the affected zone but parks his car within it. He thinks congestion pricing is a good idea but wishes it was applied to the entire island because it could increase traffic and parking issues uptown.
Graney is a cyclist and thinks fewer cars on the road would make it easier for bikers, but he worries about people using fake license plates – a problem that predates congestion pricing – to avoid paying the new tolls. (Over the last year, the city and state have increased their efforts to crack down on so-called “ghost cars”.).
