Driving into Manhattan entered a new era on January 5, when New York City implemented its much anticipated and much-discussed congestion pricing.
Congestion pricing has the potential to alleviate traffic and enhance air quality while also bringing in much-needed income for many communities.
The resistance of President-elect Donald Trump and legal challenges, however, may decide if this is a fad or a new trend in the US.
As a vocal critic, the incoming president, who is originally from New York and whose Trump Tower is located in the Manhattan congestion zone, has referred to it as a “disaster for NYC.”
“The first week I’m back in the office, I’ll terminate congestion pricing!” Trump stated in a post on social media in May.
According to Columbia Law School professor Michael Gerrard, enacting congestion pricing before the January 20 presidential inauguration was essential to preserving its sustainability.
Credit: Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images
Regarding Trump’s options, Gerrard stated that the Federal Highway Administration could have revoked its approval and stopped congestion pricing from the beginning if it hadn’t been implemented before the inauguration. “But it would be very difficult for them to go back once it has started up.”
Gerrard, a member of the legal expert group that pushed New York Governor Kathy Hochul to rescind her June decision to permanently suspend congestion pricing, stated that he doesn’t think the other cases against the MTA will be very successful.
“Cases involving congestion pricing have been heard by two state and four federal judges. The need for a bit more clarification on a few technical areas was the only issue that one of them discovered,” Gerrard stated.
“The MTA will be giving that explanation soon. If any judges believed the challenges had a lot of merit, they could have stopped it before it began.”
As early as the 1950s, Columbia economist William Vickrey proposed the idea of congestion pricing. A type of congestion pricing that was subsequently abandoned was suggested by Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City at the time, in 2007.
Advocates claim that it will lower pollution and traffic while generating funds for municipal projects. Critics counter that it will push businesses out of the city and place an unwarranted burden on drivers.
More than half of New York City voters oppose the congestion pricing plan, according to a December poll, while New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, New York Representative Mike Lawler, and New Jersey Representative Josh Gottheimer have all been vocal opponents of the plan.
According to Kate Slevin, executive vice president of the urban policy organisation Regional Plan Association, which CNN spoke with, consumers will eventually notice advantages like fewer traffic jams and investments in public transportation.
