An environmental assessment of the proposed Central Business District Tolling Program (CBDTP) in Manhattan has been released by the US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), New York State Department of Transportation, MTA Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority and New York City Department of Transportation.
The document, which evaluates the effects of a congestion pricing scheme compared with taking no action, found that central business district tolling would accomplish the goal of New York State’s MTA Reform and Traffic Mobility Act of reducing traffic congestion in the Manhattan Central Business District (CBD) and raising revenue for investment in transit.
Dr Allison C. de Cerreño, MTA deputy chief operating officer, who spoke about the proposed scheme at the first-ever Road User Charging Conference USA in Miami, Florida earlier this year, said: “You will find many of the concerns raised in early public outreach reflected in the environmental assessment, whether through additional analysis, the inclusion of a tolling scenario that was not originally envisioned, or the several enhancements related to air quality noise, and more.”
Based on modelling of seven tolling scenarios within the CBD tolling alternative, with different combinations of potential exemptions, discounts and/or crossing credits, and the resultant toll rates, the environmental assessment found the programme would result in either beneficial effects or no adverse effects for the majority of topics studied, including regional air quality, regional transportation, and parking.
The assessment also found that 85% of existing work trips to the CBD in Manhattan are made by transit, 5% by car from New York City, 3% by car from New York suburban counties, 3% by car from New Jersey, 0.2% by car from Connecticut, and 4% by other modes, including taxis, for-hire vehicles, bicycling and walking.
According to the assessment, implementation of tolls would see the number of vehicles entering the CBD decline by 15.4% to 19.9%, depending on the tolling scenario. Traffic elsewhere in the region would change between -1.5% to 0.2%, depending on the location and the tolling scenario.
Furthermore, air quality would improve overall, with greater beneficial effects within and closer to the CBD, while the reduction in traffic would result in increased reliability of bus services and an increase in transit ridership of 1% to 2%.
Following a public review period, the FHWA will determine whether establishment of the programme would result in significant effects in addition to the widespread benefits detailed in the assessment.
The FHWA will issue one of two documents responding to the environmental assessment: either a ‘Finding of No Significant Impact’, establishing that any adverse effects are not significant or can be mitigated below significant level, or, if determined that there are significant effects that cannot be mitigated, a request for an ‘Environmental Impact Statement’ requiring further study of the proposed programme.
If the FHWA approves the project, contractors would have 310 days to design, develop and implement the tolling infrastructure and tolling system technology that would process the tolls.
You can learn more about the key trends and challenges affecting senior decision-makers who have responsibility for tolling, intelligent transportation systems and road usage charging in America at the second annual Road User Charging Conference USA in Miami, Florida on 26-27 April 2023. Click here for more information.
