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Should New Jersey launch its own version of congestion pricing?
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jan 7, 2025
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By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jan 7, 2025
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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy still wants to kill congestion pricing in Manhattan, but one politician running for his job has a different plan: Launch the Garden State’s own tolls, targeting drivers coming from New York City.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who is running for governor, argues that his state has taken a “disjointed policy around the environment and car usage,” including Murphy's opposition to congestion pricing. Fulop’s proposal calls for a toll on drivers entering Jersey from New York City. Currently, drivers only pay a toll when entering the five boroughs.
“While congestion pricing can be beneficial to the environment and pedestrian safety, the New York City plan simply benefits NYC infrastructure at the expense of New Jersey residents,” Fulop’s campaign wrote in a policy paper.
“In order to support our own transit infrastructure, New Jersey should look to implement congestion pricing on those entering New Jersey from New York," the paper states. "In the Fulop plan, these fees would be a dedicated revenue source to light rail expansion and to expand PATH service, which the Port Authority has gradually diminished over the last two decades.”
In an interview Monday with Gothamist, Fulop said Jersey’s version of congestion pricing would amount to a recognition that New Yorkers contribute to traffic in the densest state in the country.
“New Jersey is a corridor state. We have a tremendous amount of traffic, a tremendous amount of congestion and New Yorkers do add to that,” Fulop said. “Any New Yorker that says that that’s not true is being disingenuous.”
Last week, a judge shot down the Murphy administration's last-minute effort to delay congestion pricing in Manhattan, paving the way for the $9 daytime tolls to begin. New Jersey lawyers had argued the environmental review process that resulted in federal approval of the program was inadequate.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop says New Jersey should launch its own version of congestion pricing.
Steven Fulop Campaign
Fulop acknowledged New Jerseyeans will benefit from congestion pricing whenever they use the MTA, which will collect funds from the tolls. He described Murphy’s approach to the lawsuit as a “missed opportunity.”
He said Murphy and his legal team could have extracted some benefits for the state through settlement negotiations. Instead, New Jersey lawyers and Murphy only argued “this is terrible,” said Fulop, who first pitched his Garden State congestion pricing plan in 2023 after announcing his run for governor.
As mayor of Jersey City, Fulop has earned a reputation for progressive street-safety policies, including a protected bike lane between Hoboken and Jersey City and free public bike storage.
Last year, NJ Transit experienced its own “summer of hell” that was so bad Murphy gave everyone a week of free rides on the trains in apology. NJ Transit also raised its fares by 15% last year and has planned an annual 3% increase starting this year.
On Sunday, MTA Chair Janno Lieber seized the opportunity to take a shot at New Jersey’s public transit system while touting the launch of the new tolls on drivers traveling south of 60th Street.
“The cost of mass transit was hiked by [Gov.] Phil Murphy by 15%, but New Jerseyans seem not to be concerned about those things, or at least the politicians in New Jersey aren’t focusing on that,” Lieber said. “I think that’s kind of the definition of hypocrisy.”
A spokesperson for Gov. Murphy’s office did not comment on Fulop’s proposed congestion toll in New Jersey, but did note Murphy and lawmakers imposed a 2.5% tax on businesses making more than $10 million in profit to help fund NJ Transit, on top of the state's existing corporate business tax.
Fulop said that disagreements between New York and New Jersey are “counterproductive” and that they both operate in the same “regional economy.”
When asked what fare he thought would be appropriate for New Jersey congestion pricing, Fulop said “I don’t want to pick a number. We would need to study and lots of factors to consider.”
Tagged
new jersey
transportation
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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