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From Gridlock to Greenlight: The Secret Behind New York’s Congestion Pricing Success

This overlooked strategy is the key to protecting this climate and public health win

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State Climate Action
Light traffic moving through a tree-lined street in Manhattan
Spencer Platt/Getty Images News via Getty Images

Big city + cars = gridlock, right? That is, unless you're talking about New York City lately, where congestion pricing has rapidly eased the chokehold.

The biggest city in the U.S. has unlocked the secret to less air and noise pollution and crime, along with fewer traffic jams, frustrated drivers, traffic violations, and car crash injuries. That’s on top of more public transit ridership, faster peak commute times, and thriving businesses—including Broadway. 

Rarely do public policies show overnight results. But just months into its congestion pricing program, the Big Apple’s $9 charge to vehicles traveling during peak hours has dramatically improved residents’ and visitors’ lives for the better. Under the shadow of ongoing federal assaults on climate policy, this program has been a glimmer of pollution-cutting progress. Revenue from congestion pricing is on track to reach $500 million, directly supporting upgrades to New York’s public transportation.

Yet, despite these clear benefits, in the words of Taylor Swift, “haters gonna hate, hate, hate.” There have been several lawsuits challenging New York’s congestion pricing program. And while most of the judges, in line with the law, have decided to “shake them off,” a few cases remain outstanding. Moreover, the Trump administration, rarely missing an opportunity to be on the wrong side of history, has repeatedly threatened New York for continuing to implement the program. And his MAGA henchmen have often parroted his bully tactics.

Backers of congestion pricing have mostly focused their attention on this legal back-and-forth and GOP bluster. But there’s another threat to protecting this victory that’s being overlooked: preserving states’ authority to make these kinds of policies in the first place. In other words, states' rights. Ironically, the very issue Republicans allegedly doggedly support. 

So, how do we protect congestion pricing and create a path for other states to follow in New York’s footsteps? First, we need to understand how it was passed in the first place. Then, we need to ensure that the authorities that made this step possible are preserved. 

Cars driving next to a sign that says 'Toll. Congestion Relief Zone'

 iStock Editorial/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

Behind-the-Scenes of How Congestion Pricing Got Passed

Congestion pricing has been in the works for decades, built on the well-established economics of dynamic, or demand-based, pricing. Demand-based pricing is used for everything from concert tickets to rideshares, and recently, more and more cities are using this tool to curb pollution and traffic. 

In New York, there were multiple pushes to get congestion pricing passed. After failing to get necessary buy-in in 2008-2009, momentum for New York City congestion pricing was revived by a 2015 transit crisis. After years of advocacy, the policy ultimately gained Governor Cuomo's support, was authorized in 2019, and launched in January 2025. 

It was the work of a diverse coalition of leaders and groups across labor, policy, transportation, and public health that eventually led to the proposal and implementation of congestion pricing. We spoke to one such leader, Renae Reynolds, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, to better understand how it got done. Reynolds credits “the strength of our coordination and cohesion as an organized body.”

 

 

“We worked hard to maintain strong communication and build and maintain trust among the various groups working together. This allowed us to maintain awareness and plan for every line of critique from our respective organizations, and also support the efforts of our partner organizations. Our timing and commitment to winning this important policy were key.”

Renae Reynolds Tri-State Transportation Campaign Executive Director

 

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign was one of the core groups in the Congestion Pricing Now Coalition. Given that their work spanned New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, they were able to counter common misinformation and affirm that congestion pricing was good policy for the entire region, not just Manhattan. They rallied support among environmental justice organizations, street safety, bike, and pedestrian safety advocates, and elected officials. They presented hard data on who would actually be charged fees: Within each district, no more than three percent of commuters were driving into the congestion relief zone. 

When asked about the winning formula for passage, Reynolds primarily points to savvy communications, timely mythbusting, organized actions, and strong coalition work. 

 

Congestion Pricing Is Working. How Do We Protect It in the Long Haul?

President Trump, his crony cabinet, and spineless Congressional Republicans have tried and repeatedly failed to wipe out congestion pricing. They have attempted to rescind federal approval for the program, withhold federal funding, and launch legislative attacks. But their tactics are legally questionable at best. Even Trump’s own Justice Department admitted the lack of federal legal authority to halt New York's congestion pricing, accidentally revealing an internal memo that flagged "considerable litigation risk" for Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s approach. 

As the groundless lawsuits peter out in the courts, it’s all the more important to focus advocacy efforts toward antagonistic Republicans in Congress. The Value Pricing Pilot program (PDF), established by Congress decades ago, allows state and local governments to implement projects that manage highway congestion by implementing “value pricing projects.” Examples include toll lanes, zone-based pricing, and parking pricing. The revenue can be used to maintain roads or reduce traffic by supporting alternatives, including robust bus and train services and facility upgrades. This is an important authority given to states: It allows them to manage roadway congestion, without building expensive new highway lanes, in a cost-effective, state-specific, and tailored way. And it empowers them to use the funding in a way that makes the most sense for their needs and context. 

As Congress debates the next iteration of surface transportation legislation, advocates and our allies in Congress must push to protect state authority to implement sustainable and fiscally responsible transportation programs, including congestion pricing. 

People walking under automatic congestion pricing toll machines in Manhattan. MDoculus/iStock Editorial/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

Congestion Pricing Supports Working Families 

We’ve seen Trump and Congressional Republicans single-mindedly attack New York’s congestion pricing, despite its clear benefits, and stoke misinformation about what congestion pricing is and who it’s for. 

But who among us doesn’t want more time at our destination and less time in a car, breathing in tailpipe pollution? Unless you’re trying to get through the audiobook of “War and Peace” on your commute, congestion pricing is a win-win-win for commuters, residents, and businesses. 

Crucially, it’s policy designed for working families. In New York, the $9 fee raised $48.6 million in the first month alone. And those funds are being invested back into public transit, the form of transportation that helps working and low-income residents the most. The logic is simple: The best way to fix transportation issues isn’t by making it cheaper to drive polluting, road-clogging vehicles. It’s by making public transit, the form of transportation the majority of New Yorkers use, more accessible for everyone. 

Secretary Duffy claims to prioritize policies that support families and, specifically, mothers. But instead, he’s advocated for “disturbingly dystopian” policies that distribute funding based on birth rates and repeatedly attacked programs like congestion pricing, which have a track record of helping communities. If this initiative had not moved forward, crucial projects would have been cancelled, worsening mobility and quality of life across the entire region. 

New York was able to address this issue and support the health and safety of its residents thanks to its right to apply value-based pricing. If more cities are to follow in New York’s lead, states need to retain their authority to tackle local issues, like pollution, traffic, and public safety. It’s time to hold Republicans accountable for their favorite talking point: supporting states’ rights. 

 

How Can Other States Follow Suit?

From an organizing perspective, Renae Reynolds of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign offers some advice to other states hoping to follow New York’s lead:

  • Build strong, diverse representative coalitions as a base of support. 
  • Work together with community members and planning and advocacy organizations in the crafting of legislation, and ensure a robust public process is undertaken to advance your policy framework. 
  • Utilize data analysis to make your case, and present that data in ways that meet different audiences where they are. 
  • Find your political champions and work hand-in-hand to build and maintain a strong bloc among the legislature. 
  • Focus on robust campaign organizing that has a multipronged approach to outreach and engagement, research and analysis, strategic communication, and a strong legal defense plan.

 

Every report on New York’s program in the past six months reiterates the same story: It’s working. So, why stop here?

Cities like San Francisco, Boston, Miami, and Chicago are ripe for following New York’s example. By taking advantage of natural barriers when building out a congestion pricing program and simultaneously investing in transit systems, these cities could cut pollution and better the lives of their residents. In the face of an antagonistic federal government, this is a rare state-level opportunity that is just as good as it seems. 

 

 

About the Contributors to This Blog

Author - Medhini Kumar

Medhini is the writing/editing digital lead for Evergreen. Through powerful storytelling, she hopes to help move the needle on climate policy and contribute to our collective fight for a livable planet.

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