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The MTA held a cheery celebration to unveil a new �Congestion Relief Zone�
sign in Manhattan, just hours before drivers will feel the pain as the controversial toll goes into effect in the Big Apple.
The agency�s CEO Janno Lieber seemed to have no concern for the many
lawsuits and pleas from commuters aiming to stop the new $9 toll, as he personally unveiled a toll sign Saturday at one of the entry points to the
zone at Broadway and W. 61st St.
Video shared by the MTA on social media shows a small crowd of toll
supporters and elected officials cheering Lieber as he stood in a crane
and revealed the new price sign.
Despite the cheers, the celebration drew online jeers from opponents of
the toll � which begins at midnight.
�How do you cheer for this,� one person commented on Instagram.
Another wrote: �Who�s celebrating bro� like who is happy to pay more ugh.�
Some found the tone of the celebration distasteful in light of the
financial strain it will put on many commuters.
�We ain�t happy about this, just put the sign up and go about y�all day.
No unveiling necessary,� another Instagram user wrote.
Despite the criticism, Lieber took time to boast last Saturday about the contentious plan as something that will improve safety, pollution and
traffic conditions.
�We�ve been working on this for five years but if you stand in Midtown for
five minutes you know we have to deal with the traffic problem,� he said.
�Now we�re showing the world that in New York we do something about our challenges.�
Tonight at the stroke of 12, the agency will begin charging passenger
vehicles $9 during peak hours of 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9
a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
Motorists will be charged $2.25 during all other times to enter
Manhattans� busiest neighborhoods south of 60th Street.
Tolls for those not using an E-Zpass will be higher.
Small trucks will be charged $14.40 during peak hours while large trucks
will be charged $21.60.
The new congestion pricing will be the first of its kind in the nation.
Money generated by the toll is expected to provide $15 billion toward MTA capital projects.
https://nypost.com/2025/01/04/us-news/mta-holds-cheery-ceremony-to-unveil- congestion-pricing-signs-hours-before-drivers-are-set-to-feel-the-pinch/
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