Manhattan’s congestion pricing initiative is yielding dramatic results, with total injuries below 60th street dropping by 51% and crashes plummeting by 55%. The city’s public transit system is also benefiting from the tolls, with improved infrastructure and services on the horizon.
Manhattan Shows Huge Reduction in Car Crashes After Instituting Congestion Pricing
The latest data from the first 12 days of congestion pricing in Manhattan is showing a massive decrease in crash-related injuries. Total injuries below 60th street, where congestion pricing takes effect and charges drivers up to $9 to enter, dropped by 51 percent compared to the same period in 2024. Total crashes also dropped by 55 percent.
Analysis courtesy of outspoken transit advocate Gersh Kuntzman and his team at Streetsblog NYC suggests that while it’s too early to take a victory lap, the figures are promising. The congestion pricing is having several positive effects, including kids getting to school faster, the city being quieter, bridges and tunnels seeing significantly less traffic, and the air becoming cleaner.
These benefits are not limited to the immediate area of congestion pricing but also extend to New York City‘s public transit riders. The congestion toll is meant to directly benefit these riders via station improvements, critical infrastructure repairs, extended bus routes, and a resumption of the 2nd Avenue subway extension project, which had been stalled for years.
The success of Manhattan‘s congestion pricing initiative could serve as a compelling proof-of-concept for other areas of New York and more crowded cities around the country. However, this is not without its challenges. Common-sense transit projects across the country are flailing due to overspending, outsourcing to pie-in-the-sky tech startups, or being bogged down by a busted legislative process.
The federal government’s lack of investment in crucial infrastructure is also a significant concern. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was already cut by President Trump in favor of his Stargate gamble, leaving state and local policy like Manhattan’s congestion pricing to take the lead. New York City is leading by example, showing other cities what people-first transit policy can do for their communities.
In a country dominated by cars, this rare win for public transit is worth imitating.
