Five Big Wins for the Big Apple from Congestion Pricing

Cleaner air, faster commutes, safer streets, and hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue for public transit improvement projects.

Those are just some of the many encouraging results in the year since New York City launched its ambitious congestion pricing program. The first-in-the-nation initiative, which last January began charging a toll to most vehicles $9 during peak hours to enter Manhattan’s central business district below 60th Street (known as Congestion Relief Zone, or the toll zone), has been a resounding success and stands to serve as a model for cities across the country.

But those gains haven’t come without a fight. In 2024, Earthjustice – representing Riders Alliance, Sierra Club, and the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance – successfully challenged the governor of New York’s 11th-hour effort to place an “indefinite pause” on the plan. And our attorneys are in court this week fending off the Trump administration’s legally dubious push to rescind federal approval of the project  – despite nearly all metrics showing its overwhelmingly positive impact on the city.

Here are five of the most notable gains.

In the first six months of congressional pricing, air pollution in the form of particulate matter 2.5 micrometers and smaller – a main driver of asthma and other respiratory ailments – fell by 22% in the toll zone, amid a steep drop in the number of vehicles entering the zone, a Cornell University study found. Researchers also reported more modest, yet still notable declines in air pollution across the city’s five boroughs and surrounding suburbs.

Greenhouse gas emissions also decreased within the toll zone as commuters spent less time idling in traffic, according to preliminary estimates from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

About 27 million fewer vehicles entered the toll zone in 2025, marking an 11% reduction in traffic compared to the previous year, according to the MTA. With less gridlock came a notable increase in traffic speeds for individual drivers and buses within the zone, and to a lesser extent, in nearby neighborhoods and beyond.

Speed improvements have been felt most dramatically by those entering and exiting the toll zone through the city’s notorious bridge and tunnel chokepoints, with morning rush-hour traffic speeds up an average of 23% – and as much as 51% entering the zone through the Holland Tunnel.

Fewer vehicles entering the zone led to a marked decrease in traffic accidents and fatalities in New York’s commercial core. Citywide, the year ended with the fewest traffic deaths in recorded history, with fatalities down 19% from 2024. Across the city, cyclist and pedestrian deaths decreased as well.

Meanwhile, the number of 311 complaints about honking and other traffic-related noise in the toll zone also dropped significantly, suggesting calmer conditions on city streets and improved quality of life.

Financially, the program exceeded expectations in its first year, with the MTA reporting more than $550 million in net revenue. Those funds are already allowing the agency to proceed with $15 billion in critical transit improvement projects, including more station elevators, bus electrification, and the continued expansion of the Second Avenue subway line.

The boost in investment comes as ridership last year increased across all modes of public transit in the city, particularly along routes traveling through the toll zone, MTA data show.

Critics initially warned that congestion pricing would chase visitors away from Manhattan’s commercial corridors, to the detriment of its restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues. And President Donald Trump in November claimed the program had turned the district into a “ghost town.”

The data suggest otherwise.

Overall visits to the congestion zone actually increased in 2025, as did retail sales and foot traffic, according to the city’s Economic Development Corporation. At the same time, Broadway had its strongest season to date, posting $1.9 billion in ticket sales, 23% higher than in the previous year. Restaurant reservations and retail sales were also up in the toll zone last year, as was office leasing and hotel occupancy, according to industry reports.

Despite such indisputably advantageous outcomes, the city’s congestion pricing plan remains in the crosshairs of the Trump administration, whose Transportation Department continues its push to “terminate” its authorization, even threatening to withhold transportation funding from the city.

Amid ongoing legal filings and court hearings, Earthjustice and its partners remain committed to vigilantly defending the congestion pricing program in court and ensuring it continues to benefit New Yorkers for years to come.

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Graphics by Casey Chin.