New York City plans to introduce a long-discussed congestion toll plan, which would charge drivers extra to enter Manhattan’s Central Business District or any area south of 60th Street. 

The toll plan would make New York City the first city in the nation to charge drivers an extra fee for entering a heavily congested area. The state agency that runs New York City’s subways, buses and commuter rail lines plans to charge some motorists anywhere from $9 to $23 to enter Midtown. This area is home to popular buildings that gain a large number of visitors and employ a large number of workers at the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and Hudson Yards, among others. 

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander announced the congestion pricing plan early last month with a mission to address the traffic on the city streets and the financial needs of the public transportation system. 

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council found that before the pandemic, approximately 700,000 vehicles would enter the Midtown area on a daily basis. According to the Metropolitan Transportation Association’s (MTA) estimate, if the fee were set to $23, there would be about 27,500 fewer cars daily. 

“Congestion pricing is also necessary to support the long-term financing the MTA must have to modernize our outdated signal system, make all our subway stations accessible, and expand and improve service,” Lander said in a press release. 

“We pay NYC taxes, yet would be penalized for coming to access services like hospitals in Manhattan,” Adj, a Manhattan resident said. “People in transit deserts who live in New York City deserve to be able to drive into Manhattan.”

New York City was ranked as the worst among cities in the U.S. in terms of congestion by the 2021 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard — which doesn’t come as a surprise to many. 

Many New York City residents are frustrated and the hashtags #axthecongestiontax and #nocongestionpricing have been trending on social media. 

The Upper East Side’s Community Board 8 Congestion Pricing Task Force also rejected the MTA’s plan in a recent vote. 

“I don’t really think anyone drives through Manhattan for fun,” said Candice Brathwaite, a 41-year-old resident from Hell’s Kitchen. 

Brathwaite is a working mom of three who drives into Midtown on a weekly basis to get to her marketing job in Hudson Yards. When she first heard about the toll plan, she immediately felt stressed because of how much she relies on her car. 

“I don’t have a choice,” Brathwaite said. “My spouse uses our car to drive to carpentry jobs in the film industry and I use our car for work.”

Brathwaite also said this will have a financial impact on her family. She currently pays about $450 a month to park her car and about $460 in other tolls. When the plan goes into effect and if the rate is $23, it will add an estimated $690 to her costs just for using “a car that’s already paid off.” 

For some New York City drivers, the congestion plan may completely stop them from riding into the city. 

“Congestion pricing will only enhance the experience of being in Midtown Manhattan,” Zak Kamin, a 33-year-old from Queens, who drives into the city one or two times a week for work, said. “The worst part of being there is the cars. They should use this opportunity to pedestrianize huge swaths of Midtown to make it a more pleasant place to be.”

If it goes through, Kamin says he would stop driving to Manhattan if he is forced to pay a congestion fee. Even though he would rather take the train than drive into the city, he still supports the toll. 

Glenn Dewar, a resident from Astoria, said he is concerned that the MTA is asking for money from people who technically aren’t using the MTA’s services, including the city’s subway, buses and commuter rails. He believes the true goal of the fee is to raise money instead of cutting congestion. 

“They want to raise the revenue on the backs of a few people,” Dewar said. “The real solution is to spread the tax over all people who come into NYC.”

Lawrence Wirth, a resident of New York City, also agrees and believes residents of Midtown, Manhattan are generally not causing the congestion and should be exempt from the toll since they live within the tolling zone. 

“I don’t believe that residents of the congestion area who register their cars within the congestion area should have to pay this additional tax to help fund the MTA,” Wirth said. “Most residents with cars use their cars to leave the congestion area on weekends.”

Those who are retired and living within the zone are also nervous about the tolls they will have to pay to run simple errands. 

“When I simply want to return home I will be charged a toll, while other NYC citizens can choose to avoid the zone, but I live here,” said Bert Hirsch, a retired federal employee living in Midtown, uses his car to visit and help and take care of his grandchildren. “If the tolls go into effect, it will greatly increase my living costs.”

While many residents oppose the plan, the Regional Plan Association (RPA) — a not-for-profit organization that focuses on recommendations to improve the economic health, environmental resiliency and quality of life in the New York metropolitan area — is in full support of congestion pricing. 

According to RPA communications director Brian Fritsch, the RPA first recommended the idea of a congestion toll back in 1996 to make the city region more economically competitive and has continued to bring up the issue since then. 

“For decades, RPA has strongly supported congestion pricing because it is a centerpiece of a set of policies that will lead to a greener, more equitable region,” Kate Slevin, the executive vice president of the RPA said in a press release. 

In developing the plan, the MTA has considered various exceptions to the tolling program including exempting Manhattan residents, emergency vehicles, cars that travel specifically on the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Drive or West Side Highway but do not exit onto city streets and residents who live in the tolling zone that earn less than $60,000. 

Although the public hasn’t responded well to the idea that they will have to pay a toll and believe the exemptions aren’t enough, experts believe the earnings from the toll plan are necessary and will greatly improve the public transportation system. 

“Bringing our public transportation up to a world-class standard and building some additional capacity in places where it’s necessary will be extremely helpful for making New York City on par with other world cities that have continued to invest in mass transit over the last couple of generations,” Fritsch said. 

According to the RPA, the tolls collected are expected to raise about $15 billion dollars for MTA in revenue, which will fully go towards paying for improvements including subway upgrades, accessibility improvements, electric buses and new train cars. 

Additionally, an environmental review of congestion pricing in the city revealed that higher toll prices would result in steeper declines in traffic. The review also found that the air quality would improve overall and save the area from pollution with greater beneficial effects within and closer to the area. 

“We must get congestion pricing done so we can invest in public transit, curb emissions, and reduce traffic, which has roared back to pre-COVID levels,” New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in a press release. 

There have also been public hearings in which experts, politicians, business owners and residents have been speaking out regarding the congestion pricing plan. 

Many expressed concerns for those from other boroughs who may not have easy access to the subway system and can’t avoid driving into the city including Queens and the Bronx. However, according to the MTA’s Central Business District Tolling Program Fact Sheet, the tolling program is necessary because it is expected to expand “access for low-income residents and visitors by improving travel options.”

The MTA’s environmental assessment also revealed that drivers who are trying to avoid the tolls would then contribute to traffic and pollution in areas like the Bronx, which is already heavily congested and polluted. It is also predominantly lower-income and made up of people of color — which raises a concern about racial equity as well. 

To combat this, the RPA is urging Governor Kathy Hochul, the MTA and city leaders to “develop a comprehensive approach to address localized impacts” that will prioritize the health of communities like the Bronx. 

Although there has been a large amount of pushback, the city still seems to be moving forward with the plan. 

As one of the busiest areas of New York City is set to see change, many residents are thinking about what Midtown Manhattan will look like in 20 years and whether it will be an area in which they truly want to live or work in. 

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office and New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ Office did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 

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There are two referendums on the midterm ballot this year. The Milwaukee County Firearms Referendum will decide whether semi-automatic firearms should be allowed in Wisconsin and the Kenosha County Second Amendment Referendum will decide whether Wisconsin should be a Second Amendment sanctuary state. 

Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D-Wis.) is running against incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) in the Senate race this week. While the National Rifle Association (NRA) has endorsed Johnson for his support of the Second Amendment, the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence has endorsed Barnes for his mission to enact gun reform. 

On the Johnson and Barnes campaign trails, voters w ere reflecting on 2020 — a year in which Wisconsin made headlines for two separate shooting incidents.

Linea Anthony, 73, has lived in Racine, Wisconsin for 25 years. She says that when the founding fathers wrote the second amendment, they didn’t want people to have assault rifles.

“I want gun control and I want sane gun laws,” Anthony said as she reflected on the gun violence in her community two years ago. 

While many Wisconsin voters agree with Anthony, many also believe in self-defense and the right to bear arms.

John Stacie has an originalist view regarding guns and believes they are a vital form of protection. The 45-year-old from Sussex, Wisconsin says if anything were to happen in his community, he’d want to be the first in line to protect the people. 

“I am passionate about gun rights because that is our founder’s way of keeping our people safe,” he said. 

On Aug. 23, 2020, a 29-year-old Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot seven times in the back and left partially paralyzed by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Following this shooting, various protests and riots broke out throughout Wisconsin. This incident happened during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement as many people were expressing their frustrations with the power of firearms. 

Jean Lockwood, a 48-year-old woman from Kenosha, lives half a block away from where Blake was shot. She was one of the first people there when it happened and remembers thinking he shouldn’t have been shot and the police “were just a little too trigger-happy.” 

Lockwood is also supportive of the right to bear arms and believes citizens should be able to arm themselves with firearms. 

Workers in the middle of making a gun sale at Paladin Protection Academy in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Photo by Ryan Schwach

“I believe that as long as you own it legally, you should be able to have a gun because it’s our right,” she said. 

Two days after Blake was shot, Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old Caucasian male from Antioch, Illinois, fatally shot two men with a military-style semi-automatic rifle and wounded another man in Kenosha during protests. 

“He defended himself,” Stacie said. “He had a reason to be there and you can open carry wherever you want in Wisconsin. They started showing force to him.” 

When the Kyle Rittenhouse trial began the following year in November, citizens in Kenosha began to equip themselves with firearms for self-defense. 

“Kenosha burned,” Jenni Gard, a trainer at Paladin Protection Academy, a gun shop in Kenosha, said. “People were panic buying and we were selling not only the guns, but the ammo, body armor and helmet. People were buying every which way to Sunday.”

Jenni Gard, a trainer at Paladin Protection Academy, a gun shop in Kenosha, has been with the shop since it opened in January 2021. Photo by Ryan Schwach

Gard remembers there being a huge uptick during the trial and she had more first-time gun buyers than ever come in who had never owned a gun before.

While some residents of Wisconsin were buying firearms, others got passionate about gun control. 

“The Second Amendment does not give people the right to just do anything they want with guns,” Anthony said. “We don’t need assault rifles and things of that nature.”

Anthony said universal background checks and a way to monitor when individuals use their guns are necessary measures to ensure safety. 

On average, 621 people die and 1,093 are wounded by guns in Wisconsin per year; the state has the 34th-highest rate of gun violence in the country, according to 2021 data from Everytown, the largest gun violence prevention organization in America. 

“Wisconsin has not been immune from gun violence and that’s definitely because of all the weak gun laws,” Nicholas Matuszewski, a policy and strategic partnerships associate at the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE), said. “Wisconsin, as with a lot of purple states, have laws that don’t really align with the overall will of the majority of Wisconsinites.” 

According to Wisconsin gun laws, a person must be at least 21-years-old to purchase and carry a firearm from a firearms dealer and at least 18-year-old to possess or hunt with a firearm. Open and concealed carry is permitted in Wisconsin, although a license is required. 

In terms of gun law strength, Everytown has given a composite score of 27.5 out of 100 to Wisconsin and has said they have “relatively weak gun laws.” 

Earlier this year, Everytown spent about $1 million in advertisements urging voters to oust Sen. Ron Johnson and accusing him of enabling gun violence. “Mass shootings, school shootings and violent crime are on the rise, and Ron Johnson is making things worse,” the new 30-second ad says. 

While Wisconsin has enacted certain child access prevention laws, created a state database background check for handguns and set partial handgun dealer regulation, gun control advocates believe Wisconsin is missing universal background checks, extreme risk protection orders, assault weapon restrictions, waiting periods and a large capacity magazine ban.

Gard said that when someone comes into her store to purchase a gun, they first go through an interview process to find out why they are purchasing and what model and make of firearm would be the best option for them. Once they have picked out a firearm, they go through a federal background check and if it’s a handgun, they go through both a federal and state background check. 

“It’s a fairly easy process here,” Gard said. 

She explained once her store runs the background check, an answer will come fairly quickly and if they’re clear, they can walk out the door with a gun that same day. In contrast, states like Illinois have a 72-hour waiting period after the background check. If the background check doesn’t pass, the sale isn’t made. 

“Essentially we have the right to refuse the sale at any point in time,” Gard said. “We have an ethical obligation that if we think someone is doing something illegal with the gun or not purchasing it for themselves, we can refuse the sale.” 

Matuszewski said WAVE is pushing for universal background checks. 

Over 80% of Wisconsinites believe that background checks are necessary and over 70% of NRA members even believe that universal background checks are necessary, according to Matuszewski. 

“You know it’s not a complicated issue. It’s not a controversial issue except for whatever reason in the halls of state legislatures and in the halls of Congress,” he said. “Those are the only places in the entire country where this is really a controversial issue, but that’s because of the power of the gun lobby. The NRA has been pushing against universal background checks for a really long time.”

WAVE is also pushing for extreme risk laws, which are policies that would allow someone to petition a court if they think someone is a danger to themselves or others.

“We’re not trying to take guns away from everyone,” Matuskzewski said. “That’s just a myth pushed by the gun lobby. We are trying to ensure that people that shouldn’t have guns — people with felonies or dangerous records or have been involved with domestic abuse  — those people should not have access to guns.”

In the 2020 presidential election, about 49.4% of Wisconsin voters voted for Joe Biden, while about 48.8% voted for Donald Trump, showing it was an extremely close call in the state. The midterms are expected to be just as close to call, with the race between Sen. Ron Johnson and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes coming down to the wire. 

If voters elect Johnson, Wisconsin should expect a continuation of the current gun laws with some loosening, and if voters elect Barnes, gun laws could become stricter.

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