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The congestion pricing hangover continued Thursday in the great Garden State, following bombshell news regarding the suggested structure of the controversial tolling program that emerged late the day before.

As NJBIZ reported, the plan from the Traffic Mobility Review Board (TMRB) – a six-member panel tasked with recommending a tolling structure for the Central Business District (CBD) – leaked Wednesday night, revealing passenger vehicles could face a $15 toll to enter that area, south of 60th Street in Manhattan. The news set off an immediate wave of reaction and strong statements from the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

On Nov. 30, the TMRB officially presented the plan, which you can read here.

Some notable recommendations include:

• Passenger vehicles and passenger-type vehicles with commercial license plates should be charged a $15 toll for entering the CBD – no more than once per day.
• Smaller trucks would pay $24 and larger trucks $36.
• Commuter and transit buses should be exempt from the toll while other buses should be charged $24 or $36, depending on their type.
• Motorcycles should be charged half the passenger vehicle toll and no more than once per day.
• Tolls should be charged only to vehicles entering the CBD, not ones that remain in or leave the zone.
• Toll rates should apply during most congested times – 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekends – with rates reduced 75% during nighttime and overnight hours.
• Credits should be available for using the four tunnels that lead directly into the CBD ($5 for passenger vehicles; $2.50 for motorcycles; $12 for small trucks and intercity/charter buses; and $20 for large trucks and tour buses); there would be no credit for using the George Washington Bridge.
• A toll rate of $1.25 per ride for taxis and $2.50 per ride for app-based options like Uber and Lyft should apply.
• A 50% discount should be available for low-income drivers, during daytime hours and after the first 10 trips in a calendar month.

“Our charge has been to consider how best to implement this bold vision for a more sustainable New York – developing recommendations for toll rates, credits, discounts, and exemptions that balance the needs of commuters, businesses, residents and the communities they call home,” the TMRB said in its report, adding the work was guided by legislation that mandated congestion pricing in New York City, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as well as the needs of environmental justice communities, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

“The Traffic Mobility Review Board’s work has also been informed by thousands of comments and feedback received from the public at hearing and outreach sessions and through online portals,” the TMRB continued. “We are pleased now to present our recommendations to the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA) Board, which is responsible for making final determinations regarding each component of the toll structure.”

Serving the many

“The guiding principle for us was: how do we satisfy the many, not the few,” said TMRB Chair Carl Weisbrod during a presentation and media availability Thursday, who also noted the emphasis on equity, as well as fairness, in the recommendations. “We really wanted to make sure that as our recommendations came out, in general, the public would think that they are fair. We know that this is a controversial issue, but we really did try to strike a balance of fairness.”

“We really made an effort to keep the base toll as low as we possibly could,” Weisbrod added. “The way we kept that base toll as low as we possibly could was first by limiting exemptions.”

That toll range was originally slated to run anywhere from $9 to $23 for passenger vehicles. So, the recommendation essentially splits that range.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced it had received the recommendations, which will be considered Dec. 6 by the board of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), which is coterminous with the MTA board. That group will review the report and consider next steps, such as putting forward a proposed toll schedule for public review.

Officials say the rate making process for the tolls would include an open, months-long public review process.

The MTA says that public hearings will be held in February 2024, followed by a review from the organization’s board of the input, and then a decision on scheduling a vote whether to authorize TBTA to adopt a tolling schedule.

“I am so grateful that this all-star panel has produced an incredibly thoughtful, detailed and balanced report that points the way forward for effective implementation of congestion pricing,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “Congestion pricing will mean less traffic, cleaner air, safer streets and better transit.”

Here on the Jersey side, leaders remained ticked off about the proposed plan and how the process has played out.

Following a scathing statement Wednesday night, Gov. Phil Murphy was, not surprisingly, asked about the situation right off the bat during a gaggle with reporters Thursday, which he held after the groundbreaking for the Garden State side construction of the Hudson Tunnel Project.

Murphy said he was “underwhelmed” by the recommendation.

“We are considering our options. The fact that the George Washington Bridge, in some form, was not included,” Murphy told reporters.

The governor also pushed back against criticism from those who said they thought he was “pro-environment” – in response to the state’s fight against congestion pricing – defending his administration’s record on environmental issues.

“This is doing two things: it’s displacing pollution from Manhattan to northern Jersey, particularly in and around the George Washington Bridge,” said Murphy. “And it is ripping off New Jersey commuters to pay for whatever financial failings the MTA has. We are considering all of our options, including further legal action.”

Tom Bracken, president and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, a longtime, outspoken opponent of congestion pricing, said that the Chamber completely agrees with the governor’s negative reaction to the recommended tolling plan.

“We are extremely disappointed that MTA officials are continually creating policies in a vacuum without consulting New Jersey when it is our residents and businesses that bear the brunt of congestion pricing at a time of already high inflation and other rising costs,” said Bracken in a statement. “New Jersey deserves better from our neighbors in New York City. The Chamber remains steadfast in our opposition to the current congestion pricing plans because it is bad for the state’s economy, especially for those that rely on regularly conducting business in New York City.”

Another longtime critic of congestion pricing, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11th District, said she is greatly disappointed, but not surprised, that TMRB released a new congestion pricing plan that includes no input or consultation from New Jersey officials and residents.

“This plan will unfairly double tax the almost 400,000 New Jersey residents who work in NYC and contribute immensely to the city’s economy. It’s outrageous that New York’s proposal also doesn’t include a single cent of funding for New Jersey Transit – even as thousands of New Jerseyans pay double taxes as part of the proposal,” Sherrill told NJBIZ in a statement. “I have fought hard in Congress to fund public transit agencies like NJ Transit as well as the Gateway Project, and I will continue pushing back against New York’s greedy cash grab from New Jersey commuters.”