The Trucking Association of New York has filed a lawsuit hoping to delay New York City's new congestion pricing plan.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in Manhattan, claims it would unfairly charge vans and trucks $36 per trip during peak hours which would then be passed on to local businesses and consumers, The New York Times reported.
"We're not pushing back on the overall program," Kendra Hems, the group's president, told the Times. "It's simply the way that trucks are being targeted."
The Metropolitan Transit Authority's congestion pricing plan, aimed at easing some of the worst traffic in the nation, will charge passenger cars $15 per day to enter a congestion zone below 61st Street in Manhattan during peak period and $3.75 overnight. Vehicles would only be charged once each day. It is scheduled to go into effect June 30.
Trucks would pay $24 or $36 depending on their size during the peak period, and $6 and $8 overnight, respectively.
Taxi fares would increase by $1.25, while rideshares like Uber and Lyft would increase by $2.50. The FDR Drive and the West Side Highway are exempted from the plan, the MTA said.
The plan is intended to raise $1 billion per year toward the MTA's capital budget.
Similar congestion pricing programs have gone into effect in London, Stockholm, Singapore, and Milan.
Congestion pricing has faced harsh criticism from the state of New Jersey, the Staten Island borough president, and various small businesses. Eight lawsuits have been filed against the plan.
Small trucking companies told the Times they will bear the brunt of the new plan. Larry Zogby, the owner of a medical courier company in Long Island City, said he estimates congestion pricing would cost him $400,000-$500,000 a year, the Times reported.
"If you have an $85 delivery, and you slap a $24 toll on it, how is there any more money left for profit?" he asked.
The MTA said the new toll will result in 100,000 fewer vehicles entering the congestion zone daily and help relieve crowding. More than 700,000 vehicles enter the area every day, and New York was found to be the most congested city in the United States, the MTA said.
In 2023, New York had the highest annual traffic volume in 87 years, the MTA said. The agency said 80% of leftover money will be used to improve and modernize New York City subways and buses, while 10% will go toward Long Island Railroad, and 10% will go toward Metro-North Railroad.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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