The MTA's new capital plan -- released last week -- shows the agency will need nearly $30 billion over the next five years for new subway cars, upgraded signals and better facilities. The question is how to pay for it without hitting riders ... and the answer is congestion pricing.

 

In an editorial Wednesday, the New York Times notes that commuters already pay a higher percentage of their transit system's cost than other cities. Besides producing nearly $300 million a year in revenues, congestion pricing would help clean the air and ease congestion.