New York First US City to Enforce Congestion Charge

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06 January 2025 | Updated 09 January 2025

From 5 January 2025, drivers entering New York State will have to pay a Congestion Relief Zone Toll of up to $9 per day.

This will eventually increase to $12 in 2028 and then $15 in 2031. The revenue from the charge will be used to improve accessibility at MTA stations and invest in new electric buses. 

According to the City of New York government’s statistics, dangerous particulate matter from traffic in the region contributes to 320 premature deaths and 870 emergency department visits and hospitalisations each year. Therefore reducing emissions from motor vehicles in NYC could dramatically improve health outcomes.

The INRIX 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard ranks it as one of the world’s most congested cities and predicted that the new toll will lead to 80,000 fewer vehicles entering the zone each day

Traffic movement is set to improve too. A 2018 study found that average traffic speeds of just 7 m.p.h. led to the average person spending 117 hours per year sitting in traffic.

State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said: “The implementation of congestion pricing is historic - helping reduce congestion in our Central Business District allowing for safer streets, while providing much needed resources to New York City’s transportation and transit systems while improving air quality for millions of New Yorkers and visitors."

Do Congestion Charges Work?

An early adopter of congestion tolls is Singapore, who first implemented the charge in 1975. A flat fee to enter Singapore’s centre led to a 45 per cent reduction in traffic and a 25 per cent decline in vehicle crashes. Singapore now has one of the world’s most comprehensive congestion charge systems.

In London, the Ultra Low Emission Zone was expanded to include all London boroughs from 29 August 2023, meaning those driving a non-compliant vehicle pay a £12.50 daily charge to drive within the zone. A 2024 report detailing the effects of the first six months of the ULEZ expansion in London showed that pollutant emissions in 2023 reduced dramatically. PM2.5 exhaust emissions from cars in outer London are estimated to be 22 per cent lower than without the expansion.

Picture: a photograph showing a road in New York City, featuring several yellow taxis and a pedestrian crossing. Image Credit: Pixabay

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 06 January 2025

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