MTA announces toll tweaks and discounts for NYC congestion pricing.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has committed to funding at least $200 million in toll discounts, health programs, and infrastructure improvements to compensate neighborhoods and industries affected by the state's proposed toll to drive into Lower and Midtown Manhattan. The MTA is depending on the congestion charge to generate enough money to finance $15 billion of the MTA's budget for upgrades and major repairs. The program will make a dent in Manhattan's perpetual traffic jams by cutting the number of cars heading into the business district by as much as 20 percent. The revised program offers a number of concessions aimed at answering some of the criticism levied against congestion pricing, including toll discounts for lower-income commuters, pollution measures, and infrastructure improvements.