Since New York City’s congestion pricing toll went into effect, Manhattan traffic delays have been cut by 25% and gridlock has been reduced in nearby New Jersey counties by as much as 14%, lessening fears it would worsen traffic outside the city, according to a new report from the Regional Plan Association (RPA).
“As more people choose transit, trips to Manhattan by car are averted, resulting in less, not more traffic in the Bronx, Bergen County and all around the region,” explained Rachel Weinberger, RPA’s vice president of research strategy.
Critics were concerned the toll would create more traffic on roads outside the zone as drivers changed routes to avoid the fee. But the RPA report found the opposite. Across adjacent areas, including the city’s outer boroughs, Long Island, Westchester and parts of New Jersey, time lost in traffic declined by 9% overall, according to the report, which based its analysis on data from the GPS app, Waze.
Source: Crain’s New York Business
