Cars, SUVs would pay $15 daily to enter Manhattan under congestion pricing plan: report

NEW YORK (PIX11) – A new report from The New York Times has revealed the city's plan for congestion pricing.

Cars and SUVs would be charged $15 once a day to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. Trucks will be paying $24 or $36 depending on the size.

Motorcyclists will only be paying $7.50, according to the report.

The FDR Drive, West Side Highway and Brooklyn Battery Tunnel will be exempt from congestion pricing. Taxis and rideshares will also be exempt, although a surcharge will be passed on to customers.

Commuters buses will also be exempt, the report said.

Low-income New Yorkers will get half off congestion pricing, according to the report, but only after their first 10 trips every month. If you drive between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., you'll get a 75% discount if you're driving into New York City.

Local lawmakers weighed in on the report Wednesday night, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

"As a conceptual matter, I support congestion pricing, as long as it is structured in a way that is fair to all sides. This plan is neither fair nor equitable," he said.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) was also critical of the plan as it was outlined in the report.

"As advertised, New York is officially sticking it to Jersey families with their commuter-crushing Congestion Tax. On top of the existing tolls, it’ll be 15 bucks every day to go into the city with no discounts at the GW Bridge — thousands of dollars a year just to drive to work," he said.

The Traffic Mobility Review Board, the advisory panel that wrote the report, told The New York Times that the plan is a "huge step forward."

Among those applauding the plan are groups like the Congestion Pricing Now Coalition.

"New York’s residents and workers deserve better transit, less traffic, and cleaner air. The TMRB’s recommendations will ensure that congestion pricing will achieve these goals," the organization said in a statement.

The MTA will oversee the program, and could still make some tweaks to the rates. The plan still has to be approved by the board, and Murphy said that New Jersey plans to continue its legal action against it.

The MTA is expected to release the plan on Thursday.