coalition that could overcome the
objections of those who felt their
‘ox was being gored’.”
That such a coalition formed
has to do with a “confluence of
motivations”, says Yermack, most
notably the chronic ill health of the
city’s subway system, which the
funds generated by congestion
pricing are meant to go towards
repairing.
“Congestion on its own was not
enough of a concern,” he says.
“Whereas fixing the subway
was considered politically
acceptable.”
Operational planning
Exact details of how the
scheme will operate remain
opaque. What is known is that
the scheme will be overseen by the
Triborough Bridge and Tunnel
Authority (TBTA), a division of New
York’s Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (MTA), the body which
runs the city’s mass transit
operations, including the subway.
The TBTA, which already has
authority for several tolled bridges
and tunnels within the city, will
establish the scheme in collaboration
with the city administration.
Under the terms set down in
the budget, toll operations for the
Congestion on its own was not enough
of a concern, whereas fixing the subway
was considered politically acceptable
Larry Yermack, strategic adviser, Cubic
system cannot begin before
December 31, 2020.
Although no deadline has been
given for the scheme’s roll out “the
TBTA is aiming to implement the
program as soon as possible after that
date,” says MTA spokesman Chris
McKniff.
Before then the TBTA needs to
resolve the question of how much
motorists will pay and how will the
scheme be enforced. McKniff says the
question of pricing will be settled by
a review board “once all traffic and
congestion analyses are complete.”
For enforcement he says the MTA
is “currently soliciting requests for
proposal (RFP) for a vendor that will
design, build,
operate and maintain the tolling
system and infrastructure.”
An E-Z path?
While the logistics of the scheme
remain unresolved it’s likely that it
will be an expansion of the existing
methodologies already in use for
cashless tolling on the city’s bridges
and tunnels. These methodologies
include an electronic tag system
known as E-ZPass supplemented
by automatic license plate readers
(ALPR) for those without tags.
While E-ZPass tag holders
currently make up majority of the
traffic on the tolled crossings in to
Above: Any overhead
gantries installed in
Manhattan would
have to be more
discreet than
typical designs
Below A discounted
congestion charge
is proposed for
residents living
within the zone
2008 The year an NYC
congestion pricing
scheme was last
proposed
NYC Congestion Charge |
048 Traffic Technology International September/October 2019
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