That will take a toll!
Some drivers are so desperate to evade congestion pricing, they might be willing to endanger lives to bypass toll cameras.
Video shared to social media this week exposed a potential hack to beat the toll camera on West End Avenue by cutting through a parking garage with an entrance on 60th Street and an exit on 61st Street.
“I just avoided the toll in New York City,” the narrator, whose voice was disguised, said giggling as he drove through the Upper West Side garage.
The driver, however, filmed himself leaving the congestion pricing zone, which could go into effect as soon as June 15.
If a driver goes the opposite way, making a left onto 61st Street and cutting through the garage, they can seemingly skirt the camera successfully.
That comes with a big catch: having to go the wrong way through the one-way, one lane parking garage, potentially resulting in a head-to-head face-off.
The congestion pricing plan will charge passenger cars $15 and commercial trucks $24 to $36 during peak hours if they enter Manhattan at 60th Street or below.
Opponents bash the move as a toll on working-class drivers, particularly in the outer boroughs or other parts of the tri-state area that lack adequate public transportation.
What to know about congestion pricing
- These rates apply during peak hours, 5 am-9 pm weekdays, 9 am – 9 pm weekends. During other times, tolls are lowers to $2.75 for passenger vehicles, $6 for small trucks, $9 for large trucks, and $1.75 for motorcycles. Other rates remain the same.
- Emergency vehicles, school buses, specialized government vehicles and vehicles carrying people with disabilities are exempt.
- Drivers crossing into Manhattan using a tolled tunnel get a $5 discount.
Gov. Hochul included in her budget proposal a measure that would allow cops to charge fare evaders with Class A misdemeanor toll theft.
The controversial plan is in federal court this week as New Jersey seeks to block the measure.
Some people admonished the TikToker for sharing the video, saying he should have kept it a secret. “I park in that garage … I thought I was the only one who knew,” said one commenter.
The loophole will be “patched up” in no time, others predicted.
