In July, Gov. Kathy Hochul celebrated the six-month anniversary of congestion pricing with data showing the program has dramatically reduced traffic in New York City, among other benefits. The number of vehicles was down 11%, the governor said, with 67,000 fewer vehicles entering the Congestion Zone daily. This equated to over 10 million fewer vehicles, when compared to last year. Traffic delays are also down in the zone by 25% and across the metropolitan region by 9%, according to data from the Regional Plan Association and the GPS app, Waze.
Crashes in the zone are down 14%, with traffic injuries down 15%, the governor’s office added. In July, data from the city’s Dept. of Transportation showed pedestrian fatalities on city streets hit historic lows, matching levels last seen in 2018. Improvements to air quality and a decrease in noise pollution have also been measurable since congestion pricing was implemented, Hochul’s office said.
A report released in July by the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene showed steady or decreasing levels of fine particle air pollution at most sites, both inside and outside the zone. This includes Staten Island by the expressway where there were fears of increased pollution.
Critics were concerned the program would hurt businesses in the congestion zone, but the governor’s office said pedestrian activity was up 8.4% in May, compared with the same period last year.
Source: NY1
