The John Jay community is divided because of the double-edged sword that is congestion pricing.
While all of New York City has been affected in one way or another, the students and faculty of John Jay have strong opinions on the recently implemented tolls.
The newfound tolling program named Central Business District Tolling, or simply known as Congestion Pricing, made its way into Manhattan on January 5, 2025. All vehicles traveling through local streets and avenues south of 60th street in Manhattan are now charged for commuting through the Congestion Relief Zone. The tolls exclude the Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) drive, West Side Highway/Route 9A, and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections to West Street.
With the new tolls in place, passenger and small commercial vehicles are charged $9 on their E-ZPass during the peak hours of 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. After 9 p.m., the price drastically decreases to $2.25, which is cheaper than the $2.90 train fare.
Because of the up-charge, city residents and commuters have shifted to public transportation as their main form of travel. The MTA revealed that subway ridership has increased over 7.3% since congestion pricing began in January. John Jay College has thousands of commuters who primarily arrive from the 59th Street Columbus Circle station, and with congestion pricing, the trip to campus may become more crowded than usual.
Associate Professor of Climate Justice at John Jay, LaDawn Haglund, shared her positive perspective on the congestion tolls since they benefits the environment.
“I think congestion pricing is a good idea because it makes drivers pay for the traffic, pollution, and health problems their cars cause,” she said. “Roads are a public good that private cars to date have monopolized, while pollution is a negative externality that falls disproportionately on low-income communities and people of color living near busy roads.”
Haglund stressed how the large amount of cars occupying the highways daily have contributed to environmental injustices in the local areas. The NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice stated that communities of color are disproportionately exposed to emissions from vehicles, particularly PM2.5 pollutants, and experience harsher health-related risks.
“Congestion pricings and reduced traffic opens the roads to pedestrians, bikes, and other uses while cutting down on pollution,” she said. “If the money raised is used to improve buses, trains, and bike lanes, it can help make transportation fairer, cleaner, and safer for everyone.”
With a smaller number of cars occupying the once busy streets, drivers and bus-takers have found that their trips have been running a lot smoother. In contrast, trains have become flooded, with both old and new passengers compacted like sardines.
The tolls sparked a debate between New Yorkers from all five boroughs and outsiders that have to travel into the city. Some are pissed about the prices, while others think it’s the best thing to happen to New York City in years.
Emill Payamps, a Masters student at John Jay, expressed his outrage with the charges. “I work here at the school store, and I commute here in the morning most of the time for my shifts. The trains are constantly delayed, especially once you get closer to Manhattan,” he said.
Although the MTA is known for their frequent delays and service issues, Payamps believes the congestion pricing has made the matter worse.
“It’s really annoying. I’ve noticed the higher amount of people on my commutes, like, even later at late nights. I get out of class at 8 p.m. a lot of days, and the trains still end up being packed somehow,” he said.
Payamps proceeded to mention the potential dangers of traveling by train post-congestion.
“People get really rowdy when it’s crowded and I’ve seen more little altercations,” he said. “The last few months, it’s been insane, the amount of things that have been happening. Everyday someone’s being shoved in front of the train. Everyday this, everyday that. It’s actually so dangerous now.”
Despite the promise of benefits as a result of Congestion Pricing, Payamps adds that he has seen no actual difference in the quality of the streets.
“There’s still potholes everywhere. There’s still construction that we never know when it’s gonna end. There’s still, you know, just random cars being double parked in the seat,” he said. “The city is claiming that this is for our benefit when it’s really just going into this pool of cash that we have no idea about. We have no examples in our real daily life of this positively affecting us. It’s just a punishment for poor people.”
Aside from commuters like Payamps who take the train, students and faculty who drive have gone through big changes in their daily routine. As a result, local parking garages are suffering in a number of ways.
Eduardo Torres, an employee at a parking garage across from John Jay’s campus, pointed out the numerous effects of the congestion pricing. The parking garage offers special discounts to students and faculty of the college, yet less people have been involved with leaving their vehicles in the facility.
“Less people from John Jay come now. Before there used to be 100 or 90 people leaving their cars. Now only about 40 or 35 show up,” Torres said in an interview translated from Spanish. “People used to say if the congestion pricing was placed, they wouldn’t come back.”
Torres has been working at the garage for well over four years. He noticed that over the past few months, there have been drastic differences in his workplace, primarily the amount of people scheduled.
“Back then there used to be eight of us, now there’s only six,” he said. Torres notes that for himself and his fellow staff members, the train is their only option. At the same time, he believes that the MTA is unreliable.
“The trains here aren’t good. To get here early, you can’t trust it,” Torres said.
Even though there is a $9 charge for most drivers, the Congestion Relief Zone does offer reduced tolls. Discounts are available for low-income drivers, and there are also exemptions for individuals with disabilities. For those aiming the dodge the payment, crossing credits up to $3 that reduce tolls are available for vehicles using a valid E-ZPass in one of the four tunnels: Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, Queens-Midtown Tunnel, and Hugh L. Carey Tunnel.
The MTA aims to keep the Congestion Pricing going for years to come. According to the MTA site, toll rates will continuously be phased through 2031. The current $9 price will soon be increased to $12 in 2028, and by 2031 the toll will reach $15.
As the debate persists, and the roads remain pricey, it’s a wise choice to keep an OMNY card handy and loaded. For specific vehicle toll rates and statistics, visit the MTA website: https://congestionreliefzone.mta.info/tolling
