Proceed with caution on congestion pricing

The concept known as congestion pricing — a program which will toll drivers below 60th Street in New York City's central business district — is coming.

The infrastructure for electronic toll collection is rising over the streets of Manhattan. Regional leaders are ironing out the details of who will be charged how much and when.

It's an enormously important effort that should move forward. Tolling the central business district, if done in a workable and thoughtful way, could reduce unbearable traffic, making Manhattan streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, strengthen the region's economy, and improve air quality.

That's a big "if." Plenty of questions remain about who it will help and who it will hurt, whether it will achieve the intended goal of getting people out of their cars, and whether the whole thing will just become another money grab for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The answers will come as the program gets underway and the region evaluates the consequences both intended and unintended, what works and what doesn't, and whether it will ultimately succeed.

If drivers and riders have their doubts, it's with good reason. The MTA has lost the expectations game in the past. History is not on the authority's side, especially when you also consider its chronic inability to manage its own finances. The MTA has an uphill battle to show the region it can get this right.

But those who oppose congestion pricing have been disingenuous. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, for instance, has done little to improve or expand New Jersey Transit, prompting more of his state's residents to drive into downtown Manhattan. 

So far, the Traffic Mobility Review Board, which is tasked with determining prices, discounts and exceptions to the tolls, has done a good job of limiting exemptions, addressing the needs of the region's vulnerable populations, and developing scenarios most likely to succeed.

FLEXIBILITY IS KEY

Also important: The MTA and TMRB must remain flexible and recognize that the first go at establishing a framework for congestion pricing likely won't be the last. An ability to quickly change what isn't working is essential.

Ultimately, this has to be more about the congestion clogging Manhattan's streets, and less about the pricing policy funneling money to the MTA. As the TMRB finalizes its recommendations, it would be wise for everyone to keep several fundamental goals in mind:

• Start low. The central business district toll could range from $9 to $23 for cars — a figure that, appropriately, will be doubled or tripled for trucks. More recently, MTA chief executive Janno Lieber floated a middle-of-the-road figure — $15. Since it is unlikely the congestion fee will be lowered once in place, start with the lowest possible threshold. If that is not high enough to reduce congestion, the dollar figure can always be raised.
• Prioritize nighttime discounts and reduce "toll shopping." An enormous piece of a successful congestion pricing plan would move truck and delivery traffic out of peak rush hours and into the evening, nighttime or early morning. The TMRB is contemplating a 50% or 75% discount, which could drop the toll to around $4 or lower. The larger the nighttime discount, the better. But a change in behavior for truck drivers, business owners and others will take time. Meanwhile, the effort to provide "crossing credits" for those who've already paid at the tunnels will help reduce traffic at the free bridges.
• Focus on for-hire vehicles. According to the MTA, more than half the traffic within the central business district consists of taxis and for-hire vehicles like Uber and Lyft. Passing the extra taxi and for-hire fees on to passengers makes sense, as does adding an extra fee for app-based daytime rides within the district.
• Limit exemptions. State legislation exempts emergency vehicles and those transporting people with disabilities. The TMRB rightly has added only commuter buses and "specialized government vehicles" — garbage trucks, street sweepers and the like — to the mix. That's where the exemptions should end.
• Improve public transit. Nothing will matter without better public transit. No matter what drivers are charged, they won't change their behavior if they think the alternative is worse. Improving subway, bus and commuter rail service is key to a successful congestion pricing effort. That means continuing to improve safety, reliability, efficiency and service. It means addressing Long Island Rail Road riders' concerns by continuing to tweak schedules and upgrade infrastructure. It means showing the MTA can spend money wisely and appropriately — in ways that riders will be able to see.

All of that is a tall order. Certainly, prospective riders will weigh the additional cost of congestion pricing against the limitations of public transit. The scale has to shift in public transit's direction for this to work.