President Trump, NYC’s Largest Hater, Says He Is Nixing Congestion Pricing

After going into impact early this yr after years of failed starts, New York Metropolis’s congestion pricing is beneath risk as soon as once more. President Trump has adopted by on a marketing campaign promise to focus on this system, which goals to cut back congestion, noise, and air pollution in Manhattan and fund repairs to town’s subways by charging drivers getting into its busiest corridors.

Based on a letter despatched on Wednesday by Sean Duffy, Trump’s transportation secretary cited this system’s impression on working-class drivers as motivation for the choice, and instructed Governor Kathy Hochul he would contact the state to “focus on the orderly cessation of toll operations.” Duffy additionally argued this system is against the law as a result of tolls are getting used to fund the subway reasonably than the roadways. It’s unclear whether or not the federal authorities has management over NYC’s tolling.

Early outcomes of congestion pricing present what was to be anticipated, in line with town and experiences from different retailers. An early survey from the New York Times discovered that many commuters who beforehand went to work by non-public automobile had tailored by switching to different modes of transportation, like commuter buses, and located their transit instances had been lowered by minutes or extra. And for individuals who continued to drive, commute instances fell noticeably as effectively—in all probability explaining why new polling has discovered frequent commuters into town support tolling.

Below congestion pricing, most drivers pay $9 to enter Manhattan beneath sixtieth Avenue. Economists for millennia have used incentives to encourage most popular habits, and that is nothing completely different. Manhattan is an island of twenty-two miles with a inhabitants of 1.6 million; it has to push individuals to the subways. And regardless of conservative cries that the subway is much less secure than ever, the uncooked information simply shows otherwise.

Different cities all over the world have applied congestion pricing in prior a long time with optimistic outcomes, however NYC is the primary metropolis in the USA to take action. In London, which applied congestion pricing approach again in 2003, this system was initially unpopular earlier than approval rose to 59% as locals got here to understand newly decongested roads. The town noticed a 30% lower in visitors within the first yr.

Regardless that congestion pricing is sensible in a metropolis like Manhattan the place the subway is materially sooner and roadways are always gridlocked—and early outcomes present this system is working as meant—it has been was a partisan challenge, with conservatives utilizing congestion pricing as a possibility to assault a significant liberal metropolis as taking away private liberties and hurting the working class. Kamala Harris gained 68% of the current presidential vote in New York Metropolis.

President Trump has railed in opposition to NYC for a very long time as an providing of purple meat for his base. And his Justice Division earlier this week determined to drop corruption charges in opposition to Mayor Eric Adams, who has lengthy sided with Trump on eradicating migrant populations from town. It has been speculated that Adams will cooperate with ICE on immigration enforcement in return for escaping prosecution.

Eric Adams was at all times a xenophobic bigot: “[Migrants] will destroy NYC. What number of of you might be organized to cease what they’re doing to us? It’s going to come back to your neighborhoods. All of us are going to be impacted. The town we knew we’re about to lose.” pic.twitter.com/QLF4mJEJUw

— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) February 18, 2025

The town’s Metropolitan Transit Authority, which oversees tolling, has already filed a lawsuit difficult the transfer. The company stated tolling would “proceed however this baseless effort to grab these advantages away from the thousands and thousands of mass transit customers, pedestrians and, particularly, the drivers who come to the Manhattan Central Enterprise District.”

The entire thing is ironic as a result of the GOP is meant to be the celebration of states’ rights… till it isn’t. Why ought to the federal authorities be capable of dictate whether or not a not a metropolis and its residents can cost tolls to make use of their roads? These usually are not federal highways—NYC ought to be capable of proceed with its program.

We’re a nation of legal guidelines, not dominated by a king. pic.twitter.com/PikwB5OwnM

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) February 19, 2025