NEW YORK CITY — New York City police are watching you. If you try to subvert the city’s new congestion tax tolls, they are threatening arrests and jail time.
That means any attempt to hide, dirty, or alter your license plate can land you in jail. The city presented a few examples of obstructions today.,
Officials are stepping up enforcement against drivers attempting to evade the city’s new congestion pricing tolls, warning that fraudulent or obscured license plates could result in arrests and hefty fines. The announcement follows multiple incidents reported this week in Midtown Manhattan.
The NYPD’s Chief of Transportation, in a statement Tuesday morning, highlighted two locations where violations were observed: 2nd Avenue and 60th Street, and 57th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues. These areas fall within the Congestion Relief Zone, a section of Manhattan below 60th Street where drivers are required to pay new tolls aimed at reducing traffic and funding public transit improvements.
“Attempts to enter the Congestion Relief Zone with altered, covered, or fraudulent plates could subject you to arrest and/or fines,” the department stated via social media, emphasizing the city’s zero-tolerance stance on toll evasion.
The congestion pricing system, expected to take effect in the coming months, uses automated toll readers and cameras to charge vehicles entering the zone. Officials say some drivers have tried to avoid detection by tampering with their license plates, an offense that carries legal consequences.
City leaders have defended the program as a necessary step to combat gridlock and pollution, though the policy has sparked pushback from some residents and businesses concerned about costs. Officials reiterated that enforcement efforts would continue as congestion pricing is fully implemented.