As New York City’s congestion toll takes effect, some drivers were spotted with license plates that had been slightly altered, potentially to avoid paying the new fee.
The toll system imposes a peak fee of $9 for vehicles entering the central business district in Manhattan between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m., which drops to $2.25 during off-peak hours.
The New York Post reported it observed a variety of tactics, many of which were low-tech, do-it-yourself methods, to conceal license plate numbers.
According to the outlet, it’s unknown whether the plate modifications are directly related to the new toll, however, many of the sightings took place near the congestion zone’s perimeter in Midtown Manhattan on Sunday – when it kicked in.
The simplest strategy reportedly involved obscuring or modifying a single character on a license plate, often by either scratching out or painting over it.
The Post reported seeing one vehicle plate with the letter “L” covered up by white paint and another that had apparently attempted to conceal the letter “E” and a zero with gray paint.