Closed Proposal

Proposed Move NY Fair Plan Legislation

Summary

A new bill is now being considered in Albany to reduce NYC traffic congestion and provide reliable new revenue for public transit improvements and road and bridge maintenance. On this site, you can learn about and discuss this legislation. Legislators, the Governor, and other key officials will be urged to read your input as the bill moves through the legislative process.

The bill was introduced on March 24, 2016 by Assemblyman Robert J. Rodriguez (East Harlem), who chairs the Subcommittee on Infrastructure. The initial coalition of 14 cosponsors includes Assemblymembers from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. It would impose new tolls for the four East River bridges and for vehicles crossing 60th St. in Manhattan. These tolls would be same as what drivers now pay to enter Manhattan through the Brooklyn Battery and Queens Midtown tunnels. Special rules would apply to commercial vehicles, taxis and FHVs. Tolls on the 7 MTA bridges would be lowered at the same time -- and the new tolls can't be implemented unless the outer bridge tolls are lowered. The new revenue would be dedicated to specific transportation-related purposes (e.g., public transit expansion, road and bridge repair, fare decreases) in all of the 5 boroughs and nearby counties. Most important, the new money would be legally protected from diversion to other uses, and transparency measures are included so the public can confirm this.

Proposed Legislation 4. Administration and Enforcement - 1

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Subtopics

1|One new agency; shared responsibilities for others - 0

What the bill does: (i) Creates the Move NY Highway & Transit Authority (MNYHTA) to own and control the MNYM Fund, and designates the members of the MTA Board serve as the MNYHTA Board.

Read the legislative language: PAL §1279-d(1),(2).

(ii) Directs MNYHTA to disburse all the money in the MNYM Fund, annually, to specified transportation agencies and purposes described in Topic 3, and to publicly report each year on the money going into and out of the MNYM Fund.

Read the legislative language: PAL §1279-d(2).

(iii) Directs NYC-DOT to set up and operate the electronic toll collection and photo-monitoring systems for the new tolls at 60th St. (Topic 1.1) and the East River bridges (Topic 1.2), to create a toll schedule that varies with demand, to decide with TBTA when the new toll plan starts (although the plan cannot start or continue unless TBTA lowers tolls on the 7 MTA bridges), and to transfer all new toll revenue to the MNYM Fund (Topic 2.1) quarterly.

Read the legislative language: VTL §§ 1702, 1703(1), 1703(2), 1703(3), 1703(10), 1705.

(iv) Directs TBTA to lower the tolls on the 7 MTA bridges by certain defined percentages of the Tunnel tolls and maintain the statutory ratios in future toll increases (Topic 1.2)

Read the legislative language: VTL §§ 1703(4), 1703(5), 1703(6).

(iv) Directs the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) to impose and collect the new congestion surcharge on taxis and FHVs, to develop a surcharge schedule that varies with demand (Topic 1.3), and to transfer all surcharge revenue to the MNYM Fund (Topic 2.1) quarterly.

Read the legislative language: VTL §§ 1703(7), 1705.

Rationale: Several agencies share responsibility for transportation in the metro area. The bill coordinates the role of existing City and State agencies, along with the newly created MNYHTA, to create an integrated system of consistent tolls on all vehicles traveling to Manhattan below 60th St., with appropriate adjustments for commercial vehicles, taxis and FHVs.

Each agency that collects new charges is required to transfer the money to the MNYM Fund. TBTA continues to keep revenue collected from the Queens Midtown and Brooklyn Battery Tunnels and the 7 MTA bridges.

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2|Enforcement; penalties and fees - 1

What the bill does: (i) Creates a new violation that is failure to pay the new tolls and surcharges within 30 days after the toll/surcharge is incurred, or 15 days after receiving written notice of the liability (whichever is later); makes the vehicle owner liable unless the vehicle was reported stolen before the violation, or the owner can prove the vehicle was operated without his/her consent (in either of these cases, the driver is liable); in the case of a leased vehicle, requires prior filing with the NYC Department of Finance (DOF) and providing identifying information about the lessee to DOF within 37 days of notice of liability.

Read the legislative language: VTL §§1703(9); 1704; 401(5-a)(a)(i); 510(4-d).

(ii) Provides that violations will be adjudicated by administrative tribunals established by TBTA and MFNYHTA allows notices of liability to be sent by first-class mail (or electronically, with permission) and specifies information that has to be in the notice; and sets the procedure for proving a violation using images from the electronic toll and license-plate camera equipment.

Read the legislative language: VTL §§1703(9); 1704. PAL § 2985(16).

(iii) Sets the penalty for failure to respond to a notice of violation at $50 after 30 days, $100 after 60 days, and $150 after 90 days; clarifies that this violation is not a conviction and won't appear on the driver's operating record; allows NYC-DOT and TBTA to add an administrative fee for violations; and provides that these violations count towards the number of outstanding violations that could result in suspension or nonrenewal of vehicle registration.

Read the legislative language: VTL §§1703(9); 1704; 401(5-a)(a)(i); 510(4-d). PAL § 2985(15), 2985(17).

Rationale: Provides for enforcement methods, penalties, and fees in line with violations of existing highway and bridge tolls.

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