Drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street will pay extra tolls as part of a pricing plan aimed at reducing congestion and improving air quality.
Source: Drivers in New York City will be charged extra in tolls to enter Manhattan
Update: The final maximum toll was set to $15 and will take effect in spring of 2024.
Drivers pay tolls for various roads, bridges and tunnels, to enter the city. This new toll will be in addition to those tolls. Drivers also pay licensing fees and per gallon gas taxes.
My state, Oregon, has plans for toll roads in the Portland, Oregon area, and has proposed to additionally charge a “per mile” fee, state wide. They say gas tax revenues are decreasing (although 2021 revenues were higher than 2019). Some states (but not mine) also charge sales tax on gasoline sales – as the price of gas goes up, so do tax collections on gas.
In the SF Bay area, they are proposing to raise bridge tolls to $8.50, and then $9.50 in a couple of years. This to fund BART – which has just 39% of it’s pre-pandemic ridership. BART is basically insolvent.
Travel may become so expensive that only the elite will be able to travel.
Today, versus not many years ago, everything has a fee. State parks were once free, but now have a daily charge. At some national parks, you must purchase advance reservation (a fee for that), then pay an entrance fee, and at some, like Glacier, you must also buy additional reservations to drive on various roads within the park.
Hiking on our local national forest lands had been free but now, some require a daily fee or annual parking permit or both.
Canoeing used to be free, but now requires a fee and a permit in my state.
There does seem to be a trend towards making travel and recreation more expensive.