The Climate Benefits Of Congestion Charges In New York City
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Congestion charges are a tribute to how powerful the economic forces are that influence human behavior. Almost every decision we make includes an analysis of how much it will cost. We might all crave a Mercedes-Benz or a Ferrari, but most of us choose a less expensive vehicle because every dollar we spend on one thing is a dollar we cannot spend on something else — like food. Congestion has always been an issue in cities. First it was push carts and horse-drawn wagons, then automobiles, trucks, buses, and taxis — lots and lots of taxis.
Robert Moses is responsible for part of the problem caused by having too many automobiles trying to get into and out of large American cities. As an urban planner, he proposed and then supervised the implementation of many of the bridges and tunnels that connect Manhattan to the rest of the world. He was also the architect of the New York Thruway system. His ideas influenced a generation of city and regional planners and helped make cars a central part of urban life. But like the brooms that brought an endless stream of water in Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, those cars became a flood that overwhelmed many cities and stole precious urban greenspace for parking. The dream Robert Moses had soon became a nightmare.
For years, the City of New York has been promoting the idea of congestion charges, similar to those that have been in effect in London for many years, as a way to stem the rising tide of vehicle traffic in Manhattan. What better way to influence human behavior than to make driving in certain areas more expensive? But not everyone agreed. Taxi companies felt especially aggrieved, and for many, driving when and where they want whenever they want is considered a God given right. How dare the mean old government interfere with something so basic! It became a “You can have my car when you pry it from my dead, cold fingers” kind of thing.
Congestion Charges Now In Effect In Manhattan
Last year, the city approved a charge of $15 to drive into the central business district of Manhattan. The governor put the kibosh on that proposal just days before it was scheduled to take effect. There was much backing and forthing between officials in Albany and NYC, and eventually a compromise was reached. Congestion charges of $9.00 during the day and $2.25 at night went into effect on Sunday, January 5, 2025, making New York the first US city to experiment with such charges, which will ramp up over time. By 2028, peak tolls will be $12, and by 2031, they will reach $15. [Editor’s note: This is something that was being pushed for 20 years ago when I was in graduate school for city and regional planning. It’s wild that it has taken this long. —Zach Shahan]
According to Grist, environmental and public transit advocates praise congestion pricing because it encourages drivers to reconsider whether getting behind the wheel is really the easiest way to get around the city. With fewer cars on the road, commuting times will be shorter for those who choose to pay the charges, but the major beneficiary will be the city’s public transit system. The money raised by the new congestion charges will fund capital improvements by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Proponents say the new charges will bring meaningful improvements to the quality of life for New Yorkers due to safer streets and cleaner air. “At this point, across much of the country, cars are so ingrained into American culture that we don’t always think of them as environmental hazards, but of course they are,” said Alexa Sledge, director of communications for Transportation Alternatives. “So a major goal of our climate policy has to be getting people out of cars and on public transit, onto buses, onto bikes, onto trips on foot.” Less carbon intensive modes of transportation are “always going to be substantially more environmentally friendly.” Of course, in the theater of the absurd that passes for politics in America today, one city council member, Republican Vickie Paladino, has been encouraging her followers on social media to damage the cameras used to implement the new fees with lasers.
An Environmental Assessment
When public money is involved, mere claims of health improvements are not enough. People want proof. An environmental assessment of congestion pricing published in 2023 estimated the impact that congestion charges would have on the amount of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, and benzene in the air. These chemicals have been linked to health problems including heart disease, respiratory issues, cognitive impairment, and increased risk of cancer. The assessment also looked at the impact tolls would have on greenhouse gases. It analyzed these impacts at a regional level, looking at 12 different counties across New York and New Jersey, and found that Manhattan would see a 4.36 percent reduction in daily vehicle-miles traveled by 2045. This would lead to sizable reductions in air pollutants in Manhattan, especially in the central business district where a 10.72 percent drop in carbon dioxide equivalents by 2045 would be realized along with decreases in fine particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide.
Such scientific assessments are not guaranteed to be fully realized, but “the most important thing is to start,” said Andy Darrell, regional director of New York at the Environmental Defense Fund, who was optimistic that real-life benefits may surpass these projections over time. “And it’s important to monitor the effects going forward and then be able to adjust the program as we go. And I think that’s exactly what’s happening now.”
Eric Goldstein, the New York City environmental director at the National Resources Defense Council, was similarly confident about congestion pricing’s benefits. “Even if the reduction in traditional air pollutants and global warming emissions are modest from implementation of congestion pricing, the indirect air quality benefits will be substantial over the long term.” He added that congestion charges will “provide a jolt of adrenaline to the region’s subway, bus, and commuter rail system that moves the overwhelming majority of people into and out of Manhattan.”
Improvements To Public Transit
Beyond cleaner air for most of the region, congestion pricing is likely to have other environmental and climate benefits. For example, the money raised by congestion charges will allow the MTA to access $15 billion in financing for capital improvements, such as making subway stations more accessible. These sorts of upgrades will make the subway safer and more efficient to use. They will also make it more resilient. In September 2023, rainstorms caused flash flooding that overwhelmed the subway system in many places. And as everyone who is not a MAGAlomaniac knows, climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely because rising ocean temperatures lead to more water evaporating into the air.
Experts agree that improving the public transit system is critical to achieving New York City’s climate goals. “For a very densely populated region like the New York metropolitan region, that investment in transit is fundamental to achieving our climate goals and our air quality goals,” said Andy Darrell. Eric Goldstein agreed. “Ultimately, if we can’t adequately fund this public transit system so that it provides safe, reliable and efficient service, the region’s environment, as well as its economy, is certain to decline.”
More On Commuting By Bicycle
There is another aspect to this that Grist did not cover but is near and dear to the heart of Lloyd Alter, who lives in Toronto and was the public face of Treehugger for many years. In a recent post on Substack, he ripped Ontario Premier Doug Ford for his proposal to tear up bike lanes in Toronto to make more room for cars. Alter cites an article in Momentum Magazine about a study in Scotland that took place over 18 years and found those who commuted by bicycle had a 47 percent lower risk of mortality from all causes than those who commuted by car or public transit. “The long-term health benefits didn’t stop there. Cycling to work was also linked to a 24 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular hospitalizations, a 51 percent lower risk of dying from cancer, and improved mental health, as measured by fewer prescriptions for anxiety and depression.”
With the activation of congestion charges, the preeminence of the automobile in New York City as envisioned by Robert Moses is finally over. Some think it should have happened decades ago, and they have a point. Automobiles and trucks powered by internal combustion engines pose an existential threat to humanity. Anything that decrease their usage is a benefit to us all.
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