Mass transit headaches: Will local residents get a break?

New York City congestion pricing is only three months away, according to the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). The toll will charge commuters with E-ZPass $15 for entering Manhattan below 60th Street, but the toll may increase to $18.23 on days when the city issues a Gridlock Alert. For residents of Monroe and Woodbury who use the nearby Palisades Interstate Parkway to enter the city, this could mean paying upwards of $30 per trip, once you include the toll for the George Washington Bridge. Commuters without E-ZPass can expect to pay more.

“Moving forward with these congestion pricing recommendations is a disgrace; $30 for the ‘privilege’ of driving into Manhattan when my constituents do not have a mass transit alternative is outright theft,” State Senator James Skoufis (D-42) told The Photo News. As part of our reporting, The Photo News has reached out to the MTA, NJ Transit, CoachUSA, and Senator Skoufis to see how the new congestion price will impact commuters in Monroe and Woodbury.

We shared with Senator Skoufis that commuters leaving the Monroe Park and Ride and traveling to the Port Authority Bus Terminal on 42nd Street currently pay $17.20 for a one-way ticket or $34.40 for a round trip ticket. For Monroe and Woodbury residents who prefer to take the train, it costs $15.50 for a one-way ride on New Jersey Transit to Penn Station on 32nd Street. And as everyone knows, you have to transfer at Secaucus to complete your trip to Manhattan, often cramming yourself onto an overcrowded train that could best be described as an epidemiologist’s worst nightmare. There is also an additional fee to park in the Harriman Train Station, which is roughly $3 for 24 hours. So, a round trip train ride for commuters costs $34. This would mean that the combined George Washington Bridge and congestion tolls are nearly equivalent to using mass transit to access the city.

Skoufis said, “The costs are comparable, which underscores our overpriced, underserviced region when it comes to mass transit options. We don’t even have a one seat train ride. We can’t hop on a $3 subway to avoid the congestion toll like folks in the city. That’s precisely why I’m concerned.”

When asked what can be done to close what he often calls “the MTA Value Gap” the senator’s office noted that the MTA will soon construct two sets of passing sidings, at a cost of over $100 million, to allow for two-way train traffic in Orange County, which currently only has one track along the Port Jervis line. These miles-long sidings will be located in the Tuxedo and Middletown areas, significantly increasing train schedule capacity once completed. The senator has stated elsewhere that the sidings won’t be completed until 2026 due to negotiations with the private entities that own some of the rail beds in the area. So as far as the train is concerned, it’s going to be a few years before commuters see an increase in service.

Because of the three-year wait, we asked the senator what options there may be to fund toll exemptions for Orange County commuters. Specifically, The Photo News asked if it was possible to redirect a small amount of the nearly $10 billion in corporate subsidies given out by New York State every year to cover the toll exemptions. Skoufis had previously told The Albany Times Union, “I’m sick and tired of seeing the governor’s office and the Legislature blindly reappropriating billions of dollars every year without any such accounting.”

Through a spokesperson, Skoufis’s office said, “The senator successfully fought for funding in last year’s budget for a comprehensive outside audit of all economic development incentives. That audit has been ongoing this year and the legislature expects a report in the first weeks of 2024.”