One year ago today, congestion pricing went into effect in New York City, and the results have been both astounding and quotidian.
Astounding because of the sheer scale of the program's success, per a report from the MTA that will be released later today: 27 million fewer vehicles in the congestion zone below 59th Street (that's 73,000 vehicles every damn day!) compared to the previous year; an 11 percent reduction in overall traffic; bus speeds increasing after years of decline; a 22 percent reduction in air pollution; nearly $600 million in revenue that has been used by the MTA to raise $15 billion in bonds to pay for transit improvements; a 7 percent increase in transit ridership; and a 7 percent and 8 percent decrease in traffic crashes and injuries in the zone, respectively.