New York implements its urban toll despite Trump's opposition

New York launched its congestion charge program on Sunday for motorists wishing to access central Manhattan. A first in the country of the queen car, which opens the way to a quarrel between local authorities and future president Donald Trump. The state's Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, announced in November that motorists entering Manhattan Island south of Central Park would pay $9 during the day.

This project, a veritable sea serpent of local political life, is intended to reduce air pollution while financing the metro, criticized for its cost ($2.90 per trip) and its obsolescence. Its implementation, two weeks before the inauguration of Donald Trump, is not trivial because the project requires the approval of the American presidency. However, if the Biden administration said it was favorable, the future president had expressed his «forte opposition» to the urban toll which “will hit workers, families and businesses”.

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Kathy Hochul wanted to pull the rug out from under the Republican to prevent him from vetoing. But the dispute promises to continue fiercely in the weeks and months to come. Neighboring New York cities are strongly opposed to the toll, arguing what they believe is a harmful impact on their businesses and on the ability of their residents to get to their jobs in Manhattan. A judge rejected a last-minute appeal filed Friday by officials in the neighboring state of New Jersey, who said the project would have adverse environmental consequences on adjacent areas.

Taxi drivers' associations have also expressed their opposition, as their customers now have to pay a surcharge for the affected journeys. Nearly 700,000 vehicles travel every day, at an average of 11 km/h, in the area affected by this tax, from 60th Street towards the south of Manhattan, amid an incessant din of horns and sirens from police, firefighters and ambulances. However, numerous toll exemptions exist, as well as a reduction for low wages or for motorists who enter the area more than ten times a month. Large European cities, such as London or Milan, have already implemented such projects.