NYC Congestion Pricing Continues to Show Positive Results

Despite continued efforts on the part of the Trump administration to kill the program, New York City’s first-of-its-kind congestion pricing program is having positive results months after going into effects, reports Jared Brey in Governing.

The results are measurable: “In the first four months after the toll cameras were turned on, 8 million fewer vehicles have entered Lower Manhattan than during the same period the year before. Entries were down 12 percent in April compared to the prior April, according to the MTA.” 

They are also palpable, with residents reporting noticing less noise, cleaner air, and more birds. Meanwhile, bus travel times are around 15 percent faster, and the program is on track to generate roughly $500 million in revenue for public transit in its first year. “Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director for the Riders Alliance, a transit advocacy group, says he feels more confident by the day in the longevity of congestion pricing, which has at times, including very recently, seemed like an idea that would never see the light of day.”