Every new report on New York City’s congestion pricing program shows it’s working. And the latest analysis from the Regional Plan Association shows it’s working even better than expected – not just for Manhattan, but for neighboring boroughs and even for the suburban New Jersey counties that were bracing for the worst. A 2022 environmental impact assessment for the congestion toll predicted possible trip diversions and new bottlenecks in the Bronx, Staten Island and Bergen and Hudson counties. Instead, the opposite has happened. Traffic jams on Bronx highways and South Bronx streets are down 10%. Staten Island drivers now save three minutes for every hour spent in traffic. In New Jersey’s Bergen and Hudson Counties, gridlock has dropped by 14% and nearly 13% respectively. And within Manhattan’s congestion zone itself, delays have fallen by a stunning 25%.
Congestion pricing is a smart, targeted solution that tackled multiple problems at once – and won widespread support from the city’s business community. Yet even with results in hand, congestion pricing remains under threat. President Donald Trump, eyeing political points, has vowed to kill it outright, despite the fact that the program is delivering real benefits to his own suburban base.
Source: Crain’s New York Business
