New York Congestion Pricing Approved by MTA Board

The program took another step forward as the board approved a proposed pricing scheme, but lawsuits still stand in the way of full implementation.

1 minute read

March 28, 2024, 6:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Street Traffic in Manhattan

mervas / Shutterstock

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board voted to approve rates for the city’s congestion pricing program, setting the stage for the first such program in the country. “Revenues from the congestion pricing program are expected to allow the transit agency to secure about $15 billion in bonds to support its capital investment program.”

As Dan Zukowski explains in Smart Cities Dive, “Under the plan approved today, passenger vehicles and small commercial vehicles using an E-ZPass tag will be charged $15 from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. At night, the fee will drop to $3.75. Vehicles will only be charged once per day, and those without an E-ZPass tag will face tolls that are about 50% higher.”

Funding from the program is considered essential to making MTA subway stations more accessible and improving transit service in the city. “Revenues from the congestion pricing program are expected to allow the transit agency to secure about $15 billion in bonds to support its capital investment program.”

Zukowski points out that the MTA still needs to resolve multiple lawsuits before the program can go forward.

Wednesday, March 27, 2024 in Smart Cities Dive

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White Shinkansen high-speed rail train passing on bridge over pond in Japan.

Texas, California Rail Projects Seek Out Private Funding

In the wake of Trump’s cuts to high-speed rail projects, rail authorities are looking to private-public partnerships to supplement their budgets.

7 seconds ago - Smart Cities Dive

Aerial view of rural community of Kuttawa, Kentucky

Addressing Rural Homelessness in Kentucky

A Kentucky Lantern series focuses on the challenges unhoused Kentuckians face and efforts to provide support and assistance.

2 hours ago - WEKU

Flat modern glass office tower with "County of Santa Clara" sign.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing

The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

May 23 - San Francisco Chronicle