“Implementing congestion pricing will allow New York to invest in our subways, buses and trains and reduce congestion in Manhattan, all while reducing air pollution. We are glad to see the MTA, city and federal government announce the plan and urge them work together to advance this critical policy. This schedule includes a thorough environmental review with robust public engagement, including a focus on disadvantaged communities. If we hope to improve public transit and reduce transportation emissions, we need this process to move forward quickly so we can get to implementing congestion pricing.
Transportation is now the leading contributor of greenhouse gas pollution in New York State. More than 2 million New Yorkers live or work within 500 feet of a congested roadway and face a higher risk of illness or disease including cancer and heart disease. By reducing traffic, congestion pricing would lower pollution and improve air quality, all while raising critical revenue to improve and modernize New York’s public transit system.
Other large metropolitan cities like London, Singapore and Stockholm have implemented congestion pricing to great success, including experiencing significant reductions in traffic and pollution. In Stockholm, for example, after enacting congestion pricing, pollution decreased and the number of children going to the hospital because of asthma attacks went down by nearly 50 percent.
Funding from congestion pricing – over $1 billion per year – will go toward repairing and modernizing the subways. Transit benefits include repairing signals and reducing wait times, electrifying the city’s bus fleet, expanding bus service, and improving bus speeds, and improving accessibility throughout the system. Our streets must be built for New Yorkers, not cars, and serve as a pathway to recovery.”
New York League of Conservation Voters
Riders Alliance
Regional Plan Association
Transportation Alternatives
Tri-State Transportation Campaign