NEW YORK – A New York City medical center is calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to consider this the financial burden of congestion pricing on patients and staff.
Under the new plan, most drivers would have to pay $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street.
NYU Langone Health is located at First Avenue and 31st Street in Kips Bay, and many patients say public transportation is not an option.
Financial burden for patients and staff
In a letter to the governor, the medical center urged her to consider the significant financial burden on patients and staff, saying 70% of patients live outside Manhattan and 20,000 employees live outside the congestion zone.
Hospice nurse Karinna Rae Sabas says her commute from New Jersey already costs $60 a day.
“I’m really worried because I mean I pay so much to park and get here. It’s hard because I love working in New York, but I’m worried about the prices,” she said.
Ray Cronogue of Long Island’s frequent visits to NYU Langone Health will soon cost much more when the congestion pricing plan goes into effect on January 5.
‘I think it’s terrible. You have to get money from somewhere else,” he said. “Enough to annoy you, I can tell you.”
Governor emphasizes lower tolls, funds for seniors and people with disabilities
A spokesperson for the governor said she “recognizes that New Yorkers with health problems drive to Manhattan to visit doctors, which is one reason she insisted on lowering the toll from $15 to $9.”
A spokesperson for the governor also says $52 million has been deployed to support transportation for seniors and people with disabilities.
Anyone registered for Access-a-Ride is exempt from congestion pricing.