The scheme has faced resistance, including from President-elect Donald Trump.

Summary

New York City has become the first U.S. city to implement a congestion charge, with car drivers paying up to $9 daily to enter areas south of Central Park.

The scheme aims to reduce traffic and fund public transport but has faced opposition, including from Donald Trump, who has vowed to overturn it.

Fees vary by vehicle type, with trucks and buses paying higher rates.

Despite legal challenges, the initiative moves forward as New York remains the world’s most congested urban area, with peak traffic speeds averaging just 11 mph.

  • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    13·
    14 days ago

    I wonder how this will affect elections. I figure Governor Hochul “indefinitely” paused the program last summer to avoid hurting Democrats in the 2024 election. The next mayoral election in NYC is in November of this year and the next election of the governor is in November 2026. Right now both the mayor and the governor are not popular and congestion pricing has a lot of opponents. Maybe people will get used to it before the elections, which is what Hochul is betting on, but there will almost certainly be a new mayor (for reasons unrelated to congestion pricing) and Hochul’s chances of being reelected aren’t great either.

    With all that and opposition from Trump, I think there’s a good chance that congestion pricing won’t last very long. (I can’t say I would be sad.) The congestion pricing hardware cost over $500 million to build, and the expected income from the toll would take over a year to cover that. The MTA’s budget will be in big trouble if congestion pricing ends up not even paying for itself.