Nearly 18 million fewer vehicles entered New York City‘s Manhattan borough since congestion pricing took effect in January, top state officials announced.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) touted the numbers in an announcement on Tuesday, which showed 12% fewer vehicles entering Manhattan’s “congestion zone.” The reduction in vehicles signals that the toll is working to keep automobiles out of the city and possibly pushing people to public transit.
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“With summer coming to an end, the benefits of congestion pricing are clearer than ever,” Hochul said. “This program has been nothing short of transformational, making streets safer, reducing gridlock across the region, and unlocking generational upgrades to mass transit, benefitting millions. Congestion pricing is working, it is legal, and the cameras are staying on.”
August alone saw 2.7 million fewer vehicles enter the zone.
Top transportation officials in the state marketed congestion pricing as a tool that could create revenue, reduce traffic in the city, and cut down on pollution created by vehicle traffic. The plan appears to have done at least one of those things with the new numbers.
The downside of the new toll for many was the added $9 for passenger vehicles during peak times. Hochul showed some hesitancy in enforcing the toll initially because of concerns about affordability, but reduced the toll from $15 to $9 before its enforcement.
The Hochul administration reported that travel times crossing the Holland Tunnel, Brooklyn Bridge, and Lincoln Tunnel have been 36%, 13% and 10% faster, respectively. The Queens-Midtown tunnel is just 4% faster, along with the Manhattan Bridge, which is 5% faster.
The city’s transit authority, the Metropolitan Transit Administration, is hoping the revenue from congestion pricing can be used to upgrade the city’s transit system and improve accessibility.
“In less than a year, New Yorkers are seeing massive benefits from congestion relief, including new rail cars, dozens of ADA elevators and signal modernization,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said in a statement. “This initiative has demonstrated that government can do big things that deliver results — less traffic, safer streets, and improved quality of life for transit users, drivers and pedestrians alike.”
The MTA also reported increased ridership and better transit performance.
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Several entities, including New Jersey, are still in litigation concerning the city’s congestion pricing plan. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), the 2025 Democratic nominee for governor in the state, is adamantly opposed to the toll.
New York City Democratic nominee for mayor Zohran Mamdani is a supporter of congestion pricing. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running against him as an independent, is also supportive of the program after previously saying he wanted it paused.