NYC congestion toll
New York Post

New York City’s new $9 toll to reduce congestion in Manhattan went into effect after midnight on Sunday. The toll is meant to reduce traffic and pay for transit improvement projects.

The city’s transit officials say the extra revenue will pay for improving transit and encourage more people to use public transportation.

Janno Lieber is chairman and CEO of New York state’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which runs New York’s subways.

Lieber says the toll is necessary to improve response times for emergency services. “Ambulances can’t get to hospitals, police cars can’t get to crime scenes,” Lieber told CBS Evening News.

But commuters are angry over the new tax. “We live here. We shouldn’t have to pay extra to move around,” one commuter told CBS Evening News.

NYC congestion toll
CBS

Starting Sunday, Jan. 5, most cars will be charged $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street every day during peak hours. Small trucks will be charged $14.40, while large trucks and buses will pay $21.60.

MTA officials hope more commuters will leave their cars at home and take the subway to Manhattan.

NYC congestion toll
CBS

New Yorkers took to social media to express their anger over paying $9 more to drive into Manhattan. Critics of the new toll say the money will go into the pockets of MTA officials like Lieber.

But Lieber says the $15 billion increase in revenue will be used to upgrade the transit system. “New Yorkers are recognizing that we are getting a ton of work done. We’ve opened two new train stations just in the last couple of years,” he argued.