As reported by The New York Times, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday (5) the indefinite postponement of the congestion pricing implementation, which was set to take effect on the 30th of this month.
“After careful consideration, I have come to the difficult decision that the implementation of the congestion pricing system involves many unintended consequences,” she told reporters.
The goal was to reduce traffic in the most congested city in the United States, where the average travel speed has dropped to 11 km/h. Almost all drivers entering lower Manhattan – south of 60th Street – would have to pay a toll of $15, which was expected to generate $1 billion a year for public transportation while also reducing air pollution.
In theory, when the cost of congestion and pollution is transferred to the drivers who create them, they reduce their use of their own cars and begin to use public transportation more.
Studies have shown that congestion pricing can reduce air pollution and sometimes bring significant health benefits, such as lower rates of childhood asthma.
The policy would also have helped New York City meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas pollution by 80% by 2050. Cars are the second largest source of CO2 emissions in the city, second only to buildings, accounting for nearly a third, according to city data.
The loss of toll revenue also undermines long-delayed plans for improvements to public transportation in New York. The expected revenue would have allowed the MTA to fund subway expansion, invest in electric trains, and make other basic improvements to transit infrastructure that has been in place for decades.
But Hochul’s sudden change shows how difficult it will be to implement this type of toll in the U.S. – a climate-friendly policy that has worked in other parts of the world, such as London, Singapore, and Stockholm.
Source: The Washington Post and The New York Times