Commuters feeling different effects from congestion pricing nearly 2 months after it began
Since implementing the toll in January, the MTA has found that drivers are shifting their commute times to avoid the peak tolls.
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The MTA says congestion pricing is working. Traffic in the city is down and travel time to get across the Williamsburg Bridge during the peak morning commute hours is down by over 30%. But for some commuters, this plan is backfiring.
Edit Espinoza says that is exactly what is happening to her.
Before Jan. 5, when the toll kicked in, she says it would take her 30 to 35 minutes to get to work. Her commute includes crossing over the Williamsburg Bridge. Within the last month, her commute has shot up to almost an hour in the mornings.
"I'm paying for something that was supposed to be more quick, but now it's worse." she explains.
She currently spends $19 a day on congestion pricing and says the toll is taking away from the treats she used to buy her kids after school.
Espinoza's experience is not unheard of to the MTA.
Since implementing the toll in January, the MTA has found that drivers are shifting their commute times to avoid the peak tolls. That is not an option for Edit-- she needs leave for work by 8:30 a.m. That time, now the busiest time to be driving in the congestion relief zone.
On the other hand, her boss Sarah Sanneh, is feeling all of the 'good things' of congestion pricing. Her commute is now shorter by 30 minutes a day. She says paying the fee does not bother her as much as others because if she were to accompany her tow kids on the train to and from school everyday, the price would be almost the same.
As a business owner and mother of two, time means everything to Sanneh. She tells News 12 that the tolls will cost her an estimated $2,700 a year. She says this money will have to be taken from somewhere else in her life but she believes the cost is invaluable, compared to lost time.
Whether you are happy with the effects of congestion pricing or not, President Donald Trump has ordered New York City to stop congestion pricing by March 21.
The Federal Highway Administration says the MTA must stop collecting the tolls by then to follow "orderly cessation."
