Before the New York State Thruway Authority delayed its scheduled Nov. 19 board meeting, the speculation was that the authority might finally implement congestion pricing for passenger cars on the Tappan Zee Bridge.

Truck tolls on the Tappan Zee Bridge are doubled at peak hours, but passenger car tolls are currently set using a perverse schedule which rewards frequent driving. Drivers of passenger cars pay a $4 cash toll or a $3.60 E-Z Pass toll, but can sign up for a plan where they pay $2/trip if they make at least 20 monthly trips.

In 1999, the Thruway Authority studied the effects of raising peak-hour tolls; that study found that different variable pricing schemes could shift up to 9% of peak-hour car traffic to the shoulder periods. To be more precise, a significant number of peak-hour commuters would shift to the shoulder periods to save money; a smaller number of shoulder-period commuters would shift to the peak to take advantage of reduced peak-hour congestion.

While the authority has not yet announced the new date of its next board meeting, advocates are hopeful that it will move towards a more rational toll structure on the Tappan Zee Bridge that would help reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. By doing so, the Thruway Authority would join the NJ Turnpike Authority and the Port Authority, the latter of which would increase the differential between on-peak and off-peak tolls at its Hudson River crossings from $1 to $2 as part of a proposed fare and toll increase.