One month later, Congestion Pricing appears to be working despite critics’ opposition

Despite efforts and lawsuits to stop congestion pricing, on January 5th of this year, New York City launched the country’s first tolling program aimed at reducing traffic in Manhattan’s business core and increase funding for major capital improvements across the subway, bus, and rail transportation network.

Now, a month after its implementation, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has released new data indicating that the program’s goals—reducing traffic below 60th Street and improving travel times—are being met.

Many opponents of the program, which charges most passenger vehicles $9 to enter below 60th Street ($14.40 to $21.60 for trucks and buses depending on size), claimed it would hurt businesses by deterring visitors. However, data suggests the opposite.

According to the MTA, nearly 36 million pedestrians passed through Manhattan below 60th Street in the past month—a 4.6% increase from January 2024, before congestion pricing took effect.

This increase in foot traffic has occurred despite over 1 million fewer cars entering the zone since the program’s start.

With fewer vehicles on the road, commute times have significantly improved. Travel times via the Holland Tunnel have been cut by nearly 50%, while the Williamsburg and Queensboro Bridges have seen reductions of around 30%.

While most traffic within the zone is moving faster—whether on north-south avenues or east-west streets—some areas, such as 9th Avenue and westbound 42nd Street during evening commutes, have experienced increased travel times.

Many former car commuters have shifted to mass transit. Subway ridership has risen 7.3% on weekdays and 12.2% on weekends, while express bus ridership from the outer boroughs to Manhattan has increased by 5.8% on weekdays and 21% on weekends.

As for concerns that congestion pricing would worsen traffic and pollution in the outer boroughs, including The Bronx, full data has yet to be released. However, anecdotal reports suggest a decrease in traffic in Bronx streets—an observation echoed by many residents.

As a daily bicycle commuter into Midtown Manhattan for over a decade, I have personally noticed a dramatic drop in traffic on most days.

My commute takes me across 138th Street and over the Madison Avenue Bridge into Manhattan—a notoriously chaotic stretch with vehicles merging from the Major Deegan Expressway.

Over the past month, the only comparable period of low traffic along this corridor was during the early months of the pandemic.

So far, these trends contradict environmental impact studies that predicted a slight increase in traffic in The Bronx due to vehicles avoiding congestion tolls. While it remains too early to draw definitive conclusions, the anticipated surge in outer-borough traffic has not fully materialized. However, The New York Times reported that data from Inrix, an analytics firm that collects traffic data, indicated afternoon travel times on some highways and expressways in The Bronx had increased by 9%, while morning travel times had decreased by 2%.

This data comes with a caveat: the increase could be attributed to factors such as roadwork or accidents along those routes. A more detailed analysis and further data collection will be necessary to determine the true impact.

If future data confirms a reduction in traffic, it would be a logical outcome given that over 30,000 fewer vehicles are now on the city’s highways and streets.

In the meantime, the MTA has committed over $70 million in funding for The Bronx in areas that are already experiencing high pollutant burdens pre-congestion pricing.

The funding will go towards installing air filters on schools within 300 meters of highways were traffic is expected to increase as a result of the tolling program.

Monies from the fund will also install more roadside vegetation that will serve to improve air quality near these roads.

Despite all of this, it’s important to note that concerns from environmental activists from within The Bronx are valid given the decades long history of dumping on the South Bronx however, so far the nightmare scenario has yet to materialize.

As for how much revenue has been collected so far, the MTA plans to release that data some time this month.