NY petition targeting E-ZPass late fees and congestion pricing gathers storm: Legal extortion

A New York driver who says he’s fed up with E-ZPass tolls has launched an online petition to change the system, including congestion pricing — and has already garnered thousands of backers.Some of the people who signed the petition, which has amassed more than 7,000 signatures since last week, claim they’ve fallen into debt over such things as E-ZPass’s late fees — racking up more than $100,000 in penalties alone from the e-tolling system.““It’s a legal extortion … the absurd amount of tolls, of violations, of fees that E-ZPass charges,” petition starter and longtime Bronx resident Joel Becerra told The Post.“I’m all for the transportation system, I’m all for having everybody using the subway,” Becerra said, “But a lot of people aren’t for it because it’s not as safe at all right now.”Becerra told The Post that his petition has resulted in hundreds of people reaching out to him with the same issue of late-fee debt and also to gripe over what he and other critics call the MTA’s latest money-grab: the congestion toll to enter Midtown Manhattan.“Pause and Reevaluate Congestion Pricing: Conduct an independent study on the real impact of this toll.Ensure the plan doesn’t punish the people who can least afford it,” the petition reads.The petition also seeks greater “oversight and accountability” on where the money raised by tolls goes.In addition, it calls for “Transparent and Fair Pricing: Stop the surprise fees and excessive penalties from EZPass.

Simplify the system so everyone knows what they’re paying.”“It makes you feel hopeless,” Becerra said of the late fees.The New York State Thruway Authority did not return a Post request for comment, nor did the MTA.A perennially introduced state bill dubbed the Toll Payer Protection Act has sought to dramatically cap the system’s late fees – byt has been struck down by both former Gov.

Andrew Cuomo and Gov.Kathy Hochul despite overwhelming support in the legislat...