Is New York City Congestion Pricing Working?

by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton

January 15, 2025

After implementing “congestion pricing” for vehicle travel into the busiest sections of Manhattan, New York’s MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) is claiming that charging folks to enter certain areas is “working,” according to figures for the first week.

According to The New York Post, although the agency is trying to make people feel they’ve made the right move to add more financial burdens to those affected by it, critics don’t believe them. Officials from the MTA have stated in their first report that travel times on the bridges that connect the outer boroughs to Manhattan, south of 61st Street, was down by as much as 40% during the first week. They also claim that car traffic south of 61st Street fell by 16% from October and 7.5% from the same time in January 2024. That amounts to 273,000 fewer cars for the first week of congestion pricing in comparison to last year’s numbers.

The transit agency stated that “anecdotal reports” show traffic is moving better in the congestion zone due to the $9 price point for cars (trucks and larger vehicles pay more based on several different factors). They said more people are taking public transportation, as ridership has increased.

“I think it’s obvious to everybody here that it has been a very good week here in New York,” MTA Deputy Chief of Policy and External Relations Juliette Michaelson told reporters on Monday. “Just look out the window. There is less traffic and quicker streets. I think everybody can see it.”

Critics do not believe what the MTA is touting.

“The MTA math is more than fuzzy — it’s fugazi,” City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens) said. “I believe in their mathematical skills as much as I believed in their timeline for the Second Avenue subway.”

Susan Lee, who runs New Yorkers Against Congestion Taxes, also had a differing opinion.

“January is usually the slowest month of the year,” said Lee, who lives in the Tribeca section of Manhattan. “While some areas experience less traffic, others have seen higher than average congestion due to drivers avoiding paying the congestion pricing tax. The MTA should be careful what they’re celebrating.”

And there is another factor that the MTA may not have included when reporting these numbers.

The city just weathered some snow and below-freezing temperatures during the same time, which may have had an effect on people not leaving their homes. So far, this has been the coldest January in recent years.

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