Trump’s Election Lends NYC Congestion Pricing Program New Urgency

New York Gov. Hochul has 75 days to reinstate the stalled program or risk losing billions in funding for the city’s aging transportation infrastructure and transit system.

1 minute read

November 8, 2024, 5:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Traffic congestion on New York City street.

BullRun / Adobe Stock

Supporters of New York City’s shelved congestion pricing plan are urging Governor Kathy Hochul to let the program move forward before President-Elect Trump’s inauguration, when Trump has promised he would kill the program. 

“Hochul's decision to pause the tolls ended up not even serving her political goals, with experts saying the issue barely registered in Tuesday's vote, even as Democrats won three Republican-held suburban congressional seats,” writes Dave Colon in Streetsblog NYC.

The governor could still revive the plan in time to get it passed before January. As Colon reminds readers, the program would be a major funding source for transportation and infrastructure projects. “The MTA paused $16 billion worth of capital projects this summer because it had no way to pay for them once Hochul paused the tolls.”

According to Colon, “It's unclear whether Hochul intends to keep congestion pricing or try to find major project funding for the MTA elsewhere — a tricky proposition with the also partially unfunded MTA 2025-29 capital plan on the horizon.”

Thursday, November 7, 2024 in StreetsBlog NYC

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

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

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.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

July 6 - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

July 6 - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine