Manhattan’s $9 Toll Was a Win for the Climate. Trump Wants to End It.
Not long ago, Andy Darrell’s feet could cart him across Manhattan faster than many a bus. Now, whenever he boards a coach, the Environmental Defense Fund’s regional director for New York said, “I’m actually happy I took the bus.”
It’s not just the cross-town coach where his ability to get around has improved, either. Darrell, like many New Yorkers, is something of an equal-opportunity commuter; depending on the day, he may walk, bike, bus, train, or taxi. And in the last six months, he said, “each of those options has gotten better.” This is neither a coincidence nor an inexplicable occurrence. Darrell has enjoyed a greater ease of mobility because he, along with hundreds of thousands of other Manhattanites, lives within the city’s new Congestion Relief Zone.
Six months ago, on January 5, New York City put a price on traffic, charging most drivers $9 to enter Manhattan’s Central Business District, south of Central Park, during peak daytime hours. Despite much consternation and controversy surrounding its implementation—including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul briefly canceling the program before it was originally due to take effect last June—it’s already seen resounding success in its first half-year, with benefits far beyond speedier bus service.
By all accounts, the congestion pricing program represents a boon for residents, commuters, and businesses: fewer cars, more pedestrians, less honking, fewer deaths and injuries from car crashes, more business for restaurants, and more ticket sales for Broadway theaters. And while those who don’t frequently go below 60th Street in Manhattan may not have noticed any meaningful day-to-day changes just yet, the program should improve life across the five boroughs. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is using the revenues from congestion pricing to help modernize subway signals, build new train lines, make stations more accessible, buy new buses, and invest in other projects designed to improve city life. The climate and environmental benefits should be tangible, too. The MTA predicts that air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions from the Central Business District will decrease by about 10% by 2045; already, vehicle emissions within the congestion zone have dipped an estimated 2.5%.
Several cities across the country are watching the outcomes of congestion pricing in New York with eager eyes. Though the Big Apple was the first city in the nation to enact such a program, several other major metro areas—including Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, and Boston—have considered similar initiatives in recent years. But anyone yearning for a tax on traffic in their cities can learn more from Manhattan than just the immediate good it’s brought; they can glean lessons on advancing social policies, too. After all, while many benefits materialized within six months, the program took over 18 years of organizing and advocacy to implement.