New York rolls out vehicle toll in Manhattan

What happened

The first congestion pricing system in the U.S. took effect in New York City Sunday, with vehicles automatically charged a toll to drive in Manhattan below 60th Street.

The toll, initially $9 a day at peak traffic times for most passenger vehicles, is “meant to reduce traffic gridlock in the densely packed city while also raising money to help fix its ailing public transit infrastructure,” The Associated Press said. The program “launched without major hiccups” Sunday, following “years of studies, delays and a last-ditch bid by New Jersey” to stop it from taking effect.

The first “real test for the tolling program will come during the workweek,” The New York Times said, but it will “most likely be some time” before it’s “clear whether congestion pricing works, or whether it can withstand continuing attempts to overturn it by a broad array of opponents,” including President-elect Donald Trump. Proponents noted that congestion pricing in places like London and Stockholm “were largely unpopular when first implemented” but gained approval “as the public felt benefits like faster bus speeds and less traffic,” the AP said.

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