After just three weeks, Manhattan congestion pricing is having impacts planned for and anticipated in regard to congestion zone traffic volume, transit patronage, and transit operations. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) staff delivered that news to board members in a detailed meeting presentation yesterday. Highlights of the reported data include:
- Travel times at inbound crossings to the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ) are at least 10 percent and as much as 48 percent faster now than during January 2024.
- “Drivers in the CRZ are experiencing travel time improvements especially during afternoon peak hours with reductions as high as 59%.”
- Since the program’s launch, the number of vehicles entering the CRZ has diminished by over a million.
- “Bus riders and especially express bus riders have benefited from less gridlock and are continuing to experience faster and more reliable commutes.”
- With faster and more reliable service, bus and subway ridership is growing.
An MTA news release provides a concise summary of the data, which the authority obtained through TRANSCOM, the interagency coalition that collects and supplies data on metro New York City travel times. A video of the presentation to the board is available on MTA’s YouTube channel. MTA stated it will now provide regular congestion relief program data updates through New York State’s Open Data portal and the authority’s own performance metrics website.
Gothamist notes that MTA officials are hopeful the improved travel conditions reflected in the data will “ease the ire” over CRZ tolling.
Bloomberg CityLab and Daily News report on the data findings and the satisfied reactions of MTA board members and executives.