Some angry drivers didn’t hold back on Sunday with their thoughts on the first active day of congestion pricing, which involved paying a $9 toll to travel into Manhattan.
“It sucks, take them down!” one motorist yelled as he passed under a set of congestion pricing gantries near the Ed Koch-Queensboro Bridge.
Most New Yorkers who spoke with amNewYork Metro Sunday said that they are adamantly against the tolls on their first day of implementation. Famous for being vocal, Big Apple residents did not hold back regarding their thoughts on congestion pricing.
“It really pisses me off,” John Saffir said, who stopped on the Upper East Side to share his grievances with amNewYork Metro. “It’s a scam. I’m not against it for passenger vehicles during rush hour, you know, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. or something like that. But this is such bullshi*t.”
According to the MTA, the funds gained through the new program will be returned to the transit system to improve service and fix quality-of-life issues. Congestion pricing also aims to encourage more drivers to use public transit when traveling into and out of the “Congestion Relief Zone” in Manhattan south of 60th Street, which is notorious for gridlock.
Riska Platt lives on the Upper East Side; although she does not own a car, she is nonetheless still against the newly installed cameras, feeling that they are an unnecessary burden.
“I think it’s horrible. It’s a tax on the people who can least afford it. I don’t even have a car, so it doesn’t matter to me personally, but I feel sorry for people who can’t afford it,” Platt said. “It’s gonna really hurt the businesses, and it’s gonna hurt me, because everything’s gonna go up in price. It’s $25 for a truck to make a single drop off, and after they drop it off, they, you know, they’re gonna eat that cost. They’re gonna pass it on to the consumer.”
Not everyone is furious over congestion pricing, though.
Steve Zaffarano is a driver who says he both takes his car and rides public transportation and believes that the anger will blow over in a few weeks.
“I don’t think it’s going to make a difference. I think that people are so programmed in taking their cars they’ll bite the bullet,” Zaffarano said, adding that he would like to see the MTA use the funds to increase their safety standards.
“I love what they’ve done in some of the stations in London, they put the glass so people don’t get shoved onto the tracks,” he added.
Drivers who make their living in the city as cabbies also say they are concerned for the future. While the iconic yellow taxis will only be charged 75 cents per trip in the congestion zone, some drivers say this will still, in turn, force them to upcharge for a ride and cause them business — something Habibur Rahman says he is already seeing.
“All the taxis are empty, they don’t have any passengers,” Rahman said, gesturing to a passing cab. “Actually, at this moment, it’s a struggle. Every driver, every person, is having an increase.”
