Governor Hochul claims that imposing a toll to drive into lower Manhattan would “create another obstacle to our economic recovery”. She could not be more wrong.
Study after study after study has found that street projects that increase investments in transit, biking, and walking result in more economic activity, not less. The MTA has said Hochul’s decision will mean $16.5B in cuts to transit spending; Reinvent Albany estimates more than 100,000 high-paying jobs could be lost across New York State; and noted congestion pricing expert Charles Komanoff forecasts an astounding $2.7B in annual net benefits from the program.
These forecasted benefits are strongly supported by evidence from existing implementations of congestion pricing across the world: studies from cities as diverse as London, Stockholm, and Singapore showed up to 35% reduction in crashes in congestion pricing zones.
But the transportation system isn’t just an economic engine for New York. It’s also critical to keeping people safe. Here are the health and safety benefits Governor Hochul has given up:
In addition to draining funds from the subway system, killing hundreds of thousands of jobs, and continuing to worsen transportation’s impact on climate change, Governor Hochul’s decision has almost certainly condemned New York City to hundreds more crashes, injuries, and fatalities in years to come. What’s more, this unnecessary burden will now fall disproportionately on vulnerable communities.
