US EditionNYC congestion pricing cuts air pollution by 22% in six months
Vehicle entries dropped 11%, heavy trucks fell 18%, and pollution declined across NYC and the region, supporting transit improvements funded by congestion pricing revenue.
- On January 5, 2026, New York City marked the one-year anniversary of the congestion pricing program, which began on January 5, 2025 and charges drivers up to $9 to enter Manhattan below 61st Street.
- After years of debate dating to about 2007, the congestion pricing plan was designed to reduce gridlock and pollution while raising billions for Metropolitan Transportation Authority capital improvements.
- MTA and traffic data show daily vehicle entries into the Central Business District fell 11.1%, about 70,000 fewer cars per day and 24.6 million fewer through Dec 14, while Cornell University researchers found PM2.5 dropped 22%.
- Hochul credited the revenue with enabling $1.75 billion in projects, with congestion pricing generating $638.77 million through November and program expenses totaling $96.2 million.
- Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman delayed his ruling until Jan. 28 as the MTA sued the Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation warned it could disable cameras or withhold funding.
21 Articles
21 Articles
24 million fewer vehicles: One year of congestion pricing in New York City
It’s been one full year of congestion pricing in New York City, and downtown Manhattan looks markedly different: 23.7 million fewer vehicles, traffic delays down 25%, and a 22% drop in air pollution, to start. And that’s just within the “congestion relief zone.” The program, which implements tolls on drivers who enter certain, once often-gridlocked areas of Manhattan, is even having positive effects outside of the streets that are subject to the…
A first look into congestion pricing in the United States: PM2.5 impacts after six months of New York City cordon pricing - npj Clean Air
In January 2025, New York City became the first U.S. metropolis to implement cordon-based congestion pricing, establishing a toll zone in Manhattan’s core. The zone, which covers all local streets and avenues at or below 60th Street, is designated the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ). While cordon pricing is theorized to reduce traffic and improve health, rigorous causal evidence in the U.S., particularly with environmental justice considerations, h…
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