- Data Shows MTA Congestion Pricing Improves Trip Time And Mobility Beyond Manhattan
- Ohio Turnpike And State Police Partner In 2026 To Build Traffic Safety Momentum
- New Smishing Schemes Pop Up In New Mexico And Delaware
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Data Shows MTA Congestion Pricing Improves Trip Time And Mobility Beyond Manhattan
A working paper (number 33584) issued by the prestigious National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) makes an important but unexpected finding about the MTA congestion pricing program’s traffic impacts. While it confirms other research showing that tolling improved travel time for people driving to and within the Manhattan congestion zone, the paper also reveals that vehicles started moving faster on many roadways across the metro region.
A team that includes economists and a Google researcher produced the paper using anonymized Google Maps data from September 2024 through the June following the MTA program’s start in early 2025. They found evidence the tolling program had a “spillover effect” caused by reduced peak-period driving across the New York metro area. In fact, data showed that drivers traveling entirely outside the congestion zone — such as commuters from Brooklyn to Queens or from one northern New Jersey community to another — enjoyed even greater travel time savings than Manhattan-bound drivers. The irony of that research finding is that congestion pricing opposition remains strong among some of the people deriving the most most benefit from the MTA program.
A lead author of the paper said it’s the first to estimate congestion pricing’s impact on both Manhattan commutes and trips that never end in the congestion zone. The findings indicate that travel time savings are greatest on routes close to Manhattan and benefits diminish — but aren’t negligible — as distance from the congestion zone grows. However, importantly, the research produced no evidence “of offsetting slowdowns on different road types . . . suggesting that the policy reduced overall traffic volumes rather than simply displaced congestion.”
On the basis of their findings, the paper’s authors suggest that Boston and Chicago are two metro areas that would likely benefit from embracing a congestion pricing strategy.
Sources: Bloomberg CityLab
Congestion Pricing Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New Jersey New York New York City Transportation and Infrastructure Research & DevelopmentOhio Turnpike And State Police Partner In 2026 To Build Traffic Safety Momentum
The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) and the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission (OTIC) are partnering again in 2026 to encourage motorists to practice safe driving behaviors. OSHP will conduct high-visibility patrols on the turnpike focused on distracted driving, speeding, and seatbelt use. OTIC will promote a message that drivers must be careful and attentive even when their vehicles are equipped with safety innovations like forward collision warning and adaptive cruise control.
Ohio Turnpike deputy executive director and chief engineer Chris Matta Commented, “Improving safety isn’t a switch we flip overnight. It’s ongoing work — through education, enforcement, outreach and most importantly, personal responsibility.”
Ohio recorded more than 6,000 vehicle-related deaths over the past five years, many of which were attributable to behaviors such speeding, improper lane changing, following too closely, and failure to yield. OTIC counted more than 4,000 speed-related crashes that resulted in 21 fatalities and 1,637 injuries, about 300 crashes where driver distraction was a factor, and 32 fatalities involving failure to use a safety belt.
Nevertheless, the two agencies say “proactive enforcement and safer driving choices” produced some improvement in 2025. For the fourth year, Ohio fatal crashes decreased statewide, and there were 37 fewer deaths. The Ohio Turnpike reported 10 traffic deaths last year, the lowest number in five years.
Source: Joint OTIC-OSHP news release, Spectrum News
Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) Ohio Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission Public Outreach And CommunicationNew Smishing Schemes Pop Up In New Mexico And Delaware
Prompted by another wave of toll smishing messages, New Mexico DOT issued a news release emphasizing that the state has no toll roads and never requests toll payments from residents or visitors. It warned that scammers are currently sending texts that claim “enforcement action” regarding toll violations will begin after tomorrow, February 4, or making phone demands for toll payment.
Last week, the the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued a public warning about a new smishing scheme that threatens text recipients with suspension of their vehicle registration and driving privileges for failure to pay a traffic violation fine. DMV said the scammers are trying to lure people into paying money and revealing personal financial information. It urged recipients to ignore messages soliciting payments for traffic fines, toll violations, or E-ZPass account replenishment.
Sources NMDOT news release, KOAT News, Delaware DMV news release
Crime Beat Cybersecurity Delaware Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) New Mexico New Mexico DOTSubscription Information
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