Cuomo’s transport deputy unveils congestion pricing details at Brooklyn Chamber’s Newsmakers event
Owners: ‘It’s going to hurt business’
If congestion pricing is put into effect, it’s going to cost a whole lot more to get to Manhattan by car, Michael Wojnar, deputy secretary of transportation for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, told a crowd at the Brooklyn Chamber’s Newsmakers event in Downtown Brooklyn on Thursday.
Wojnar gave the attendees the latest details available on the proposal, which is included in the upcoming state budget. If the budget passes on April 1 — “and it better,” Wojnar said — congestion pricing would not be implemented any sooner than 2021.
Congestion pricing is designed to cut back on vehicles clogging the city’s streets and raise funds to fix the MTA. The proposal would charge roughly $11.52 to vehicles traveling into Manhattan’s central business district, south of 60th Street.
As part of the roll out, taxis and ride-share vehicles like Uber and Lyft have already started charging customers a $2.75 surcharge per ride in the district. (Pooled trip riders pay $.75 each.)