Some drivers on Queensboro Bridge have to pay congestion pricing tolls
NEW YORK — The Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge has been toll-free since it first opened to traffic back in 1909, but some drivers are now being charged because of congestion pricing, whether they know it or not.
According to the MTA, drivers on the bridge who are heading to Queens are charged for being in the congestion zone. It may just be for a matter of seconds, but at peak hours, it will still cost drivers $9.
Coming into Manhattan, the upper-level exit ramp is the only toll-saver. The lower level, even the exit, costs drivers.
When CBS News New York asked about being charged for the one block it takes to turn onto the ramp, a spokesperson 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."
For maps showing which roads and tunnels are and are not impacted by congestion pricing, click here.
NYC public advocate calls for clearer congestion pricing signage
Some drivers who spoke to CBS News New York seemed to know they were about to pay. Some did not.
"I come this way every day. I hope not," one driver said.
"They said if you're making a left on a highway, you don't have to pay," another driver said.
John Martin is a plumber and owns a business on 60th Street in Manhattan.
"I've done the math. It's $20,000 a truck," he said. "That toilet bowl just cost me $45 more. Where do you think that cost is going? It's going straight to the customer ... You cannot get back over this bridge without getting charged."
Friday, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams pointed out what he sees as a flaw in the system.
"Drivers need to be told early and clearly which lanes are entering the zones and which are not," he said.
In response, the MTA said they'd "take another look" at signage options.