Drivers using Queensboro Bridge complain there is no way to avoid congestion pricing toll
There's an outcry from some drivers about congestion pricing
By Lindsay Tuchman
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LONG ISLAND CITY, Queens, New York (WABC) — There’s an outcry from some drivers about congestion pricing, specifically those who have been using the 59th Street Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.
They say there is no way to get from Manhattan to Queens without paying for the $9 fee, even though they have no intention of going into the congestion pricing zone.
Andrew Joseph, who just moved to Long Island City, says he probably won’t be driving across the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.
“I’m not going to be congesting Manhattan with my car anymore,” Joseph said.
But notably, if you are heading into Manhattan and planning to go uptown, you can stay on the upper level of the Ed Koch and avoid the toll. However, when you go back to Queens, there is no avoiding it, whether you are on the upper level or the lower level, because the road takes you below 60th Street before you start heading across the bridge.
One man driving south on Second Avenue had to pay $9 to enter the congestion zone, for less than a minute.
The MTA reminds drivers the toll is not contingent on how long you’re in the Manhattan Central Business District, just if you’re in it at all.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the MTA said, “The law passed five years ago that established the Congestion Relief Zone set the boundary as Manhattan south of and including 60th Street, except for the FDR Drive and West Side Highway. The location of toll points aligns exactly.”
Still, some feel this toll point in particular, impacts Queens residents unfairly.
“They’ve been the most vocal people that have been against the congestion pricing, saying it just hurts them the most. It hits them the most,” Joseph said.
As a reminder, you will only get tolled once a day, so if you know you are going to be crossing the bridge two times, you will either get hit with a charge on the way in, or the way out.
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