just in time for the weekend drivers who use the turnpike and Garden State Parkway saw their tolls go up today by 3% that's the third price increase in three years and it means the average toll for the joy of riding on the New Jersey Turnpike for a passenger vehicle well it's now over five bucks that's an increase of 15 cents according to a State Transportation official the average Parkway commuter will pay an extra 5 cents on their trip it's not going to break the bank but drivers say all the increases add up especially as New Jersey pushes back against another looming fee on commuters who drive into Midtown Manhattan New York City's Transit Agency the MTA this week held the first two out of four public hearings on the proposed congestion pricing plan and a senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports commuters on both sides of the issue were ready to sound off I own a vehicle I had to buy one because if you think transit sucks in New York moved to Jersey Dana Dennis testified during the mta's 4-Hour long public hearing on congestion pricing speakers from the five burrows and New Jersey weighed in Dennis just moved to Essex County and supports the plan as a way not just to reduce traffic and pollution but also to improve mass transit for folks who depend on it if you have waited long wait times at a bus stop it's for you if you had to get up extra early and you were still delayed to get to work congestion price is for you for many of us who are struggling to make ends meet an additional daily fee will represent a substantial burden that will force sacrifices in other areas such as food many speakers expressed similar concerns over the toll that congestion pricing will take on their wallets it'll charge $15 for cars and up to 36 bucks for trucks heading south of 60th Street and entering from Bridges and tunnels into Manhattan's congestion pricing Zone during the day one paramedic complained working folks can't afford it because all these people don't live in the city because it's way too expensive so we import them and now they're not going to work here because we're taxing them outrageously it's the cops the firemen myself a paramedic myself the construction workers I'm not going to work down here are you kidding me you might not like what I'm saying but it's a fact you are bsing New Yorkers the the MTA is a money pit it's asking people toay pay for something that's free right now um and so it's going to be controversial but what we've seen in other cities is that once the fees put in place people see the benefits um and public support goes up the mta's already built congestion pricing scaners and says the system could launch this June but it's worried about some half dozen or so lawsuits filed by groups including Governor Murphy North Jersey politicians New York small businesses and workers unions MTA official offal claim that's stifling their spending plans this is why it is all the more concerning that we need to share with the board the impacts of the delays and congestion pricing due to the current litigation the agency's capital projects plan relies on billions of dollars from congestion pricing tolls this week the MTA hit the breakes with any lawsuit or lawsuits comes risk especially of delay and we can't award contracts until the funding is assured so as a result the MTA Capital program must be placed mostly on hold while litigation is pending we will not be issuing any new construction contract solicitations and the idea that they want to blame any of this on anyone but themselves is offensive Congressman Josh gimer is among New Jersey officials who sued the MTA claiming congestion pricing will simply shift traffic and pollution away from Manhattan you'll may have less traffic but you're totally hosing people in their own adter Burrows and in Northern New Jersey they're being sued by businesses in New York by families in the Burrows by families in northern New Jersey right he urged the MTA to improve its financial management the legal roadblock remains leverage in this bstate debate the MTA will hold two more public hearings on Monday and a final vote on congestion pricing in Spring I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight news