Traffic enters lower Manhattan after crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, Feb. 8, 2024, in New York.
Bebeto Matthews/AP/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Bebeto Matthews/AP/AP
Congestion pricing was introduced in the center of New York City on Sunday, after a late attempt by officials in neighboring New Jersey to stop it in court failed.
The measure — which charges many drivers $9 dollars to enter Manhattan during peak hours — is intended to bring relief to the country’s most populous city. According to traffic-data analysis firm INRIX, New York had the worst traffic in the world in 2023: drivers lost 101 hours to traffic during peak commuting times.
Advocates say the new charge, which is the first of its kind in America, will ease traffic gridlock, improve air quality and help raise $15 billion for upgrades to New York’s beleaguered transit system.
Some also hope the measure will reduce the number of traffic fatalities in the city. More than 250 people died in traffic incidents in New York City in 2024, including 115 pedestrians.
But others, including President-elect Donald Trump, have signaled they won’t give up in fighting it.
Most drivers will be charged via their E-ZPass, an electronic toll collection system used in many states. Electronic detection points have been created at entrances to and exits from the tolling zone. Anyone without an E-ZPass will receive a bill sent by mail to the registered owner of the vehicle.
The program follows similar initiatives in busy cities such as London, Singapore and Stockholm — where the concept has proved effective in reducing traffic and promoting public and alternative…