After months and even years of anticipation, congestion pricing has been introduced in New York City.
The controversial policy essentially increases tolls for cars in Manhattan’s busiest areas, reducing traffic and forcing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the city’s subways and buses, to has emerged as a way to raise funds. since the 1970s. But it wasn’t until 2017 that it started to look that way. It may finally become popular.
Still, implementing it was an uphill battle. Last summer, New York Governor Cathy Hochul abruptly canceled a well-conceived plan to impose a $15 toll on drivers heading below 60th Street in Manhattan, just 25 days before the plan went into effect. . A few months later, in November, she said she would. Unpause a plan Fares will be cheaper, from $9 during peak hours to $2.25 during off-peak hours for passenger cars. After an uproar, New York City made history when toll cameras were activated just after midnight on Sunday, January 5th.
The move would make New York City the first U.S. city to experiment with congestion pricing, joining a small group of other major cities. london, stockholmand Singapore — seeks to discourage driving in order to maximize safer roads and other environmental benefits.
Environmental and public transportation advocates praise congestion pricing because it forces drivers to reconsider whether getting behind the wheel is really the easiest way to get around a city. With fewer cars on the road, congestion pricing means motorists have shorter commutes and better public transport options. That’s because the money raised through congestion pricing helps fund capital improvements by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
However, this policy is not without its opponents. Republican Vicki Palladino, a member of the New York City Council, seemed to encourage her followers on X (formerly Twitter) to: Damage paid cameras with lasers. Opponents of congestion pricing say the fees would be a burden. Of course, in a way this is the point. This means making driving slightly less attractive and encouraging alternative modes of transportation.
Supporters say these are worthwhile costs that will fund meaningful improvements to New Yorkers’ lives, such as safer streets and cleaner air.
“Right now, in most parts of the country, cars are so ingrained in American culture that we don’t always think of them as an environmental hazard, but of course they are,” said the Alternative Transportation Department. Communications Director Alexa Sledge said. An advocacy organization focused on street safety in New York City. “The main goal of our climate change policy must therefore be to get people out of their cars and public transport and into taking buses, cycling and traveling on foot.” Low-emission transportation “is always going to be significantly greener,” she says.
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One of the main selling points of congestion pricing is that in addition to reducing traffic, it improves air quality. In the nation’s most densely populated city, fewer cars on the road mean fewer cars emitting exhaust gas, and less traffic means less time spent idling.
Ann Environmental assessment of congestion pricing A paper published in 2023 estimates the impact of tolls on a number of air pollutants, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter and benzene. These chemicals have been linked to health problems such as: heart disease, respiratory problems, cognitive impairmentand increased risk of cancer. The assessment also considered the impact of tolls on the following areas: greenhouse gas. The report analyzes these impacts at the local level for 12 different counties in New York and New Jersey and projects how large or small changes in pollutants will be by 2045. I did.
The report says congestion pricing would reduce vehicle miles traveled per day in Manhattan by 4.36% by 2045. This would significantly reduce air pollutants in Manhattan, especially in the central business district (where drivers must pay to travel). admission fee). For example, the environmental assessment model shows that the central business district will experience a 10.72 percent reduction in carbon dioxide equivalent by 2045, similar reductions in certain fine-grained substances, and slight reductions in nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. decrease (5.89 percent). 6.55% each).
If you zoom out, the benefit is less, but it still makes sense. The assessment found that carbon dioxide equivalents would decline by 0.8 percent by 2045 across the 12 New York and New Jersey counties included in the analysis. These 12 counties have a total population of approximately 14 million people.
Please note that the actual impact is likely to differ from these estimates and will require robust data collection to accurately understand the impact. The environmental assessment actually bases these projections on a slightly more ambitious congestion pricing scenario than is currently in place, with peak tolls for passenger cars at $9 and off-peak tolls at $7. There is. But the tolls for the drivers Hochul signed will increase over time. By 2028, peak prices will reach $12 and by 2031, $15.
“The most important thing is to start,” said Andy Darrell, New York regional director for the Environmental Defense Fund, who was optimistic that over time actual benefits could exceed these projections. “And it’s important to be able to monitor future impacts and adjust programs as we go along. And I think that’s exactly what’s happening right now.”
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Eric Goldstein, New York City environment director for the National Resources Defense Council, was similarly confident about the benefits of congestion pricing. “Even if congestion pricing reduces traditional air pollutants and global warming emissions by a small amount, the indirect air quality improvements will be substantial over the long term,” he said in an email. He added that congestion charges would be “shocking”. Adrenaline is pumping through the region’s subway, bus, and commuter rail systems, where the vast majority of people commute to and from Manhattan. ”
The environmental assessment also found that congestion pricing could result in increased traffic in other areas of the city, such as the Bronx, where neighborhoods such as the South Bronx already have disproportionately high asthma rates. I am worried about the rate. To offset this, the MTA has committed funding. some mitigation effortsincluding replacing diesel-fueled trucks around Hunts Point, a busy food distribution facility, with cleaner models. It also plans to install air filtration systems in schools near freeways, plant more trees near roads and establish a Bronx Asthma Center.
But these efforts have done little to reassure local residents. In November, South Bronx Unite, a coalition centered on social and environmental justice, called for reinstatement of New York City’s congestion pricing plan. It was a “fatal blow” to the South Bronx, he said. Mitigation efforts are not sufficient to address the root causes of pollution in the region. “We welcome any mitigation efforts for the South Bronx and other pollution-stricken communities, but they are being dangled before us as a bargaining chip to bring more pollution into the area,” said Arif Ullah, the group’s executive director. It shouldn’t be done.” told reporters.
In addition to cleaner air in most areas, congestion pricing could have other benefits for the environment and climate. For example, funds raised through congestion pricing would allow the MTA to raise $15 billion for capital improvements such as making subway stations more accessible. While these upgrades aren’t technically designed with climate change in mind, they do make the subway safer and more efficient to use. This becomes important when extreme weather events occur. “People really rely on the subway system to get to their destinations, and if you have a major weather event, it’s really scary and really difficult,” said Transportation Alternatives’ Sledge.
A storm occurred in September 2023; Flash flooding occurs in New York Cityoverwhelming the subway system in many places. After Hochul declared a state of emergency due to extremely heavy rains, the MTA Warns about “network-wide” disruptions He advised people to stay home if possible. due to climate change Extreme rain is more likely Because as ocean temperatures rise, more water evaporates into the air. As Sledge points out, these weather events are “clearly only going to become more and more common” as global temperatures continue to rise. “So anything we can do to mitigate this is going to be very important moving forward.”
Technically speaking, the funds raised through congestion pricing can only be used for capital improvements included in the MTA. 2020-2024 Capital Plan;The agency will need to raise an additional $6 billion in funding. Roadmap for climate change resilienceThis includes raising subway vents to prevent storm surge from flooding subway stations.
But experts agreed that improving the public transportation system is critical to meeting New York City’s climate goals. “For highly populated regions like the New York metropolitan area, investments in transportation are fundamental to meeting climate and air quality goals,” said Darrell of the Environmental Defense Fund.
Goldstein, of the National Resources Defense Council, said, “Ultimately, if we don’t adequately fund our public transportation system to provide safe, reliable, and efficient service, our region’s environment will suffer.” “The economy will definitely decline,” he said.
