Congestion Pricing Would Make New Yorkers Drive Less, Ride Transit More, Survey Says

Almost half of New Yorkers would drive less if a long-awaited congestion pricing plan is implemented in Manhattan, according to a recent poll.

1 minute read

June 14, 2022, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Lincoln Tunnel

GagliardiImages / Shutterstock

A recent NY1/Sienna College Poll found that New Yorkers intend to respond to congestion pricing in exactly the way one would expect: by driving less and taking more transit trips.

“Some 42% of New Yorkers said they would get behind the wheel less and 64% would switch over to subways and buses should the government start tolling motorists,” writes Kevin Duggan to report the survey findings for AMNY.

The congestion pricing scheme under consideration for New York City would enact “cordon pricing” in Manhattan south of 60th Street. The plan has been on a rollercoaster for years, however—failing in the New York State Legislature in 2008, then winning approval in 2019 and facing delays delayed first by the Trump administration and then the Covid-19 pandemic. The Environmental Assessment for the plan is expected in December 2022. Current New York Governor Kathy Hochul has not been strongly supportive of congestion pricing in recent weeks.

More coverage of the poll can be found in an article by Clayton Guse for the New York Daily News.

Tuesday, June 7, 2022 in AMNY

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