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So, how is New York City's Congestion Pricing Working Out? [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-01-22

New York City recently imposed a Congestion Pricing Plan on vehicles entering Manhattan in the area south of 60th Street. The intent is to accomplish several things: 1) reduce traffic congestion that can cause gridlock, 2) improve air quality and reduce energy consumption, 3) encourage use of transit alternatives and use the toll funding to improve them, and 4) generally improve the quality of life in the Big Apple.

So how is it working so far?

The Rail Passengers Association Hotline #1380 (pdf) has an article looking at the early results since the plan went into effect on January 5, 2025. It’s already having a positive effect:

..The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA)’s early numbers show 43,000 fewer drivers heading into Manhattan each workday, with drivers traveling from the Queens Midtown Tunnel and the Queensboro Bridge experiencing commute times lessened by 35% and 43% respectively. The MTA, announced a profound increase in public transportation ridership since the implementation of congestion pricing. The New York City subway experienced a significant increase in ridership. The figure was 3.18 million passengers on Jan. 9, 2025, registering an increase of at least 300,000 more people than on the same day in 2024. The Long Island Railroad trains went from 170,149 passengers on Jan. 5 to 194,574 on Jan. 9, and when compared to last year’s figures, it turns out that there is an increase of at least 20,000 more commuters. The Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company, commonly known as Metro-North, a suburban commuter rail service between Manhattan and northern communities around New York City and into Connecticut within 4 days also saw increased ridership by 30,000 more commuters: 139,885 on Jan. 5, 2025, to 167,983 on Jan. 9. Compared with the 2024 numbers, there are nearly 15,000 more tickets sold. Meanwhile, the MTA said that more improvements are on the way to public transportation, including work on the Second Avenue Subway Phase 2, modern signals for the A train in Brooklyn, and another “big package” of ADA-accessible train stations.

While there was resistance to the plan at first, the initial results seem to bear out the reasons for imposing it. The article notes that other major cities like London, Stockholm, and Singapore, have seen the public sentiment supporting these measures grow as they experience the benefits. It notes that one thing that is important is that people see the funding go to improving transit — and that they see those improvements.

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I belong to the Rail Passengers Association and I strongly urge anyone who cares about better transportation choices in this country join ASAP. The newsletter also has an article on how Sean Duffy, President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination for Secretary of Transportation faced questioning in the Senate that emphasized how important Amtrak is for so many Americans.

Groups like RPA are going to be critical going forward against the dystopian Federal government under GOP rule. Joining state based groups like the Empire State Passenger Association is also going to be important, as resistance at the state level is where immediate action is taking place — in blue states at least. In my work with Solutionary Rail and the Climate Rail Alliance, I’ve been made aware of the many places it’s possible to make a difference and stay informed.

The world is made by the people who show up for the job. These groups all have job openings.

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