Harckham and Monaghan Call for Rockland Commuters to Get Toll Credit on GW Bridge

Stony Point Residents Will Be Unfairly Burdened by Congestion Pricing; One week left for public to comment on the MTA’s Central Business District Tolling plan

With one week left for the public to comment on the proposed Central Business District Tolling plan, New York State Senator Pete Harckham and Stony Point Town Supervisor Jim Monaghan called today for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to consider that toll payments from Stony Point residents using the George Washington Bridge be deducted from the proposed congestion pricing fee. This financial initiative, the two lawmakers noted, would help ease the unfair burden that some Rockland commuters heading to work in Manhattan will face when the congestion pricing program is implemented.

“While I support the congestion pricing program as an important tool in our efforts to meet the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goals and help address climate change, we should also ensure that it is fair and equitable,” said Harckham. “Unfortunately, the new tolling program will significantly impact Stony Point residents, who do not have viable mass transit options and must use their cars to commute.”

“I am extremely concerned about the implementation of the Central Business District toll to Rockland County residents, especially those living in Stony Point,” said Monaghan. “This pricing plan creates an unfair burden for our residents who have extremely limited mass transit options and no one-seat ride into Manhattan. If this ‘commuter tax’ does indeed become a reality, I stand in support of Sen Harckham’s efforts to discount this unfair burden on the hard-working residents of Stony Point.”

The MTA’s Central Business District (CBD) Tolling Program will charge $15 for private automobiles entering Manhattan below 60th Street with the purpose of encouraging use of the region’s mass transit system, reducing traffic congestion and addressing air quality problems. It is also expected to generate funding for improvements to the New York transit system. 

Many Rockland County residents have virtually no mass transit alternatives to commute into the CBD. The county is part of the MTA region, but there are only two MTA rail lines with scant indirect service to Manhattan, and Stony Point has a single bus line with direct service into the CBD. As a result, the majority of Rockland residents are forced to use their cars to access the CBD, including first responders and other essential workers.

While the CBD plan proposes a $5 credit against the $15 daytime CBD charge for the Lincoln, Holland, Queens-Midtown, and Hugh Carey tunnels, there is no such exception for the George Washington Bridge, thereby doubling the price of a commute for Rockland commuters when CBD is implemented.

The MTA comment period on the Central Business District Tolling plan runs through Monday, Mar. 11. Comments on the plan can be emailed to contact.mta.info/s/forms/CBDTP (click here for a link to the MTA’s comment form) or left as a voicemail by phoning (646) 252-7440.