May 1, 2007 7:00 pm US/Eastern
Port Authority Ready For 2-Way Tolls In N.J.
N.Y. Side May Soon Be Charged On All Bridges, Tunnels
by Marcia Kramer
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
First, Mayor Mike Bloomberg proposed an $8 commuter tax. Now, the Port Authority is proposing a plan to charge drivers who come and go to New Jersey.
Gridlock is the name of the game here at the Lincoln Tunnel during rush hour, but now the Port Authority has a plan to pick up the pace. The problem is, it'll cost you.
The Port Authority wants to get you coming and going.
One New Yorker summed it up best.
"Oh nooooo."
That's right. As part of a new congestion pricing proposal the Port Authority now wants to charge tolls both ways. The agency already charges people on the New Jersey side of its six bridges and tunnels. Now it wants to charge on the New York side as well.
"It will create a hazard and a disaster," one driver said. "That's terrible."
Added another: "Both ways is crazy because it already backs up in Manhattan, but I don't have a problem paying off hours if it evens out the traffic."
And while the name of the game is to charge less in off peak hours to increase traffic flow, you're not out of the woods yet. The agency also wants an overall toll increase. It's been six years since the last one.
"Very painful for my pocket," one commuter said.
Under the proposal, tollbooths will become a thing of the past. If you have EZ Pass you'll cruise right by electronic sensors. If not, a camera will snap your license plate and the bill will be in the mail.
As expected, the plan has rubbed many the wrong way.
"I thought that they make enough money on one way instead of doing two ways," one person said.
"The traffic is terrible, but there's nothing you can do about it. I'm not going to change my ways," said another.
"It looks like everyone's jumping on the Bloomberg bandwagon," a driver added.
The Port Authority is going to do a study before it makes any changes, but the new plan could be in place by the end of next year.
Officials claim that changing people's driving habits even a little can make a big difference.
When the agency started charging New Jersey drivers $1 less to come across the spans before 6 a.m., 7 percent of drivers took advantage of the price break.
That reportedly brought a 15- to 20-minute reduction in congestion at the "peak of the peak."
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