Starting just after midnight on Sunday, drivers began paying a new fee to enter the heart of Manhattan. The toll is part of New York City’s plan to reduce some of the world’s heaviest traffic while raising billions of dollars to pay for improvements to mass transit.
But congestion pricing didn’t kick in when traffic is typically at its worst, in the middle of the week when the largest number of motorists commute in to work. Instead, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is overseeing the new congestion pricing program, scheduled the start at a time when traffic would be far lighter.
Officials at the M.T.A. said the timing of the first day would allow them to fix any unexpected kinks at a relaxed pace as workers turn on cameras and other tolling equipment at dozens of sites.
“It’s an opportunity to ensure the technical side is operating as intended in an environment of fewer transactions than would be expected on a weekday,” Tim Minton, an M.T.A. spokesman, said in an email. The fees are charged when drivers enter the designated tolling zone, which is below 60th Street and stretches to the southern tip of Manhattan. They are at their cheapest during off-peak hours, which are from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends and from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays. The tolls are more expensive during peak hours, to discourage travel when traffic is heavier.
Passenger cars pay $2.25 to enter the congestion pricing zone during off-peak hours, and $9 at peak hours.
Motorcyclists pay $1.05 during off-peak hours, and $4.50 at peak times.
Smaller commercial trucks pay $3.60 during off-peak hours, and $14.40 at peak hours. Larger trucks and tour buses are charged $5.40 off-peak and $21.60 at peak hours.
