New York City is working towards implementing congestion pricing — charging drivers who enter Manhattan from 60th St. and south a daily toll — as an effort to reduce traffic and improve air quality in midtown and lower Manhattan.
Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus resides exactly on 60th St., where the congestion tolls would begin taking effect. Fordham’s Ram Van service that travels between the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses would be subject to paying this toll each day.
The toll, which was approved by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board in a 9-1 vote, is currently set at $15 for passenger vehicles such as cars, a middle ground from the previously outlined costs ranging from $9 to $23, according to NBC New York. Tolls will cost $24 for small trucks such as moving vans, $36 for large trucks and $7.50 for motorcycles. Fordham is attempting to get Ram Vans exempted from paying the toll, but the city is currently only waiving the toll for government vehicles, such as snow plows and emergency vehicles.
Tolls would be in effect from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. During off-hours, tolls are set to cost about 75% less — about $3.50 instead of $15 for a passenger vehicle. Each vehicle would only be charged the toll once daily, even if they leave and re-enter the congestion pricing zone, which has been labeled as the Central Business District.
“On a weekday, we make about 100 trips between Lincoln Center and Rose Hill,” said Plinio Gonzalez, director of university transportation. “However, we only use 19 to 20 vans, so we’d only be charged the toll 19 to 20 times: once a day, per vehicle.”
Fordham is unsure how they plan to supplement the toll costs, with possibilities ranging from gaining a pardon from the city government for the toll or raising the cost of Ram Van tickets.
The university has also looked into possibly moving the Lincoln Center Ram Van loading and unloading area away from the congestion pricing zone, but it is not possible. “We looked at moving loading areas, but 62nd St. is congested,” said Gonzalez. “We’d have to build more, which is expensive and inconvenient. We already have the waiting room and public safety right there at the current Ram Van area at 60th St.”
According to NBC, the Traffic Mobility Review Board highlighted to the MTA that the congestion pricing would reduce the number of vehicles in the area by 17%, or 153,000 fewer vehicles, which would improve traffic, pollution and street parking, and encourage people to use public transportation to navigate Manhattan. The board also predicted that the city would earn an estimated $15 billion, which can be used to modernize the subway and bus system.
“This is the first time congestion pricing is being done in the U.S., New York is basically the guinea pig,” Gonzalez said. “It will be challenging financially and operationally. But the goal is to reduce congestion, not eliminate it. Traffic could get better, it could get worse; we won’t know until it happens.”
In a statement, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy requested that the Traffic Mobility Board exempted New Jersey drivers entering the congestion pricing zone, as the toll is “ripping off New Jersey commuters to pay for whatever financial hardships the MTA is facing.” The state of New Jersey has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Highway Administration as an attempt to block congestion pricing in NYC.
Staten Island has also announced plans to sue the MTA over congestion charges as well, with the concern that deterring drivers from the Central Business District will overcrowd surrounding boroughs such as Staten Island and the Bronx.
NYC’s congestion pricing has been in the works since as early as 2019, with the original release set to be in 2021. Now, the earliest the congestion pricing is set to take effect is estimated to be in June.
Gonzalez shared that this is the busiest year for the Ram Van program with 8% more passengers last semester than ever before. The program, which has been servicing Fordham’s campuses since 1981, has 120 student drivers total and transports students between both campuses, as well as provides transportation for dorm, university, club and sport events and brings students to the John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.
“The most important thing to know is that we will still have Ram Van services,” Gonzalez said. A Fordham graduate himself, Gonzalez is confident that Fordham will solve this issue. “Fordham always figures it out, the university is very resilient and smart. We’ll do our best to overcome this hurdle.”
