NYC drivers seek free parking to dodge $9 toll
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The influx of commuters seeking free parking spots is set to transform New York City neighborhoods as the $9 congestion pricing plan takes effect. Areas across the city will face unprecedented pressure from drivers looking to avoid the new toll by parking outside the designated zone.
Communities adjacent to the 60th Street tolling boundary are bracing for severe traffic congestion as motorists hunt for available parking spaces. The situation is particularly concerning for the Upper East Side, which already faces significant parking challenges.
New Jersey commuters are feeling the brunt of NYC's first-ever congestion pricing toll.
The $9 toll is an unnecessary and substantial financial burden for daily commuters. To add more frustration, the PATH in Hoboken is shut down until February 25th
Jersey gets it, take the… pic.twitter.com/LymWuzArCS— April Color (@ColorApril) January 5, 2025
“Parking is already very much an issue. We have nine hospitals in our district, and many of them are north of 60th Street,” said Upper East Sider Valerie Mason, a member of New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax, a group suing to stop the scheme.
Mason noted that medical facilities already create substantial parking demand in the area, adding, “We’re also very concerned that [the toll] will cause a huge amount of traffic and more cars trying to park north of the [59th Street Bridge].”
The impact extends beyond Manhattan’s core. East Harlem, already struggling with out-of-town traffic consuming parking spaces, anticipates worsening conditions according to Manhattan Community Board 11 Chairman Xavier Santiago.
Outer borough communities, including Long Island City, the South Bronx, and upscale Brooklyn neighborhoods, are preparing for an influx of vehicles from various regions seeking to circumvent the toll.
“My constituents who still have no real public transit connection to Manhattan are looking forward to treating the posh, transit-rich, gentrified, brownstone Brooklyn as their new park-and-ride,” quipped NYC Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island).
Transportation expert Genevieve Giuliano predicts a period of adjustment as drivers explore alternative routes and strategies. “Can you imagine doing” a drive-to-subway commute “every day?” said Giuliano. “Because some days the parking spots might be there; other days they might not.”
Paying $9 just to drive below 60th Street in NYC? Here's a suggestion: Let's fine the politicians who came up with this brilliant idea $9,000 each. Perhaps then they'd truly grasp the "toll" this takes on everyday New Yorkers
…or Americans who happen to travel to NYC pic.twitter.com/5ia74TaSI4
— 🇺🇸 ʟᴇғᴛ ᴄᴏᴀˢᴛ ᴠᴀɢʀᴀɴᴛ 🇺🇸 (@Baklava_USA) January 5, 2025
Mayoral candidate Jim Walden warns that concerns about subway safety may drive more people to seek parking alternatives. “My friends on the far left really don’t care about the outer boroughs,” said Walden, a moderate independent. “They’re creating less congestion in Manhattan [with the tolls] and more congestion everywhere else.”
Former Lower East Side councilwoman Kathryn Freed anticipates widespread efforts to avoid the toll. “People are going to do whatever they can to avoid [the toll],” Freed said.
Infrastructure quirks could create additional challenges. A toll camera on 1st Avenue might cause traffic bottlenecks as drivers seek alternative routes, while some creative motorists have already identified potential workarounds.
One such loophole involves a parking garage straddling the toll zone boundary. A manager at Sessanta Garage, identified as “Sergio,” acknowledged plans to address safety concerns: “We’ve just been waiting to see if this congestion pricing really goes into effect or not.”
The MTA declined to provide comment on these developments.
