By Mike Flynn, AICP, Senior Principal and New York General Manager, and Melvin Wah, AICP, New York Sustainability Lead

In this three-part blog post series, we share our reflections on congestion pricing as New York potentially makes history as the first American city to enact an area-based congestion toll on vehicles. In this post, we discuss how congestion pricing should not be a goal in and of itself, consider what a compelling transportation vision that includes congestion pricing as a key component might look like, and suggest transformative projects that could be part of this holistic transportation strategy.

No one likes to feel penalized, especially by additional fees associated with daily habits like their commute. The additional cost of driving into the city amidst concerns over inflations and rising living expenses can feel like an unfair burden. As a policy that has concentrated costs to a very small portion of the region’s population, but diffused benefits to a much larger group, congestion pricing faces a significant challenge when it comes to building public support. The immediate financial impact on some motorists can overshadow the longer-term, less tangible benefits of reduced traffic congestion, an improved public transportation system, and a healthier, more livable city.

This challenge is two-fold: there is a communication challenge in terms of how we build public support for a policy of this type, and there is a leadership challenge where our elected officials must use some of their political capital to “go to bat” for good policy. While the decisions of our elected leadership may be out of our control, the communication challenge is something that can very much be addressed by policymakers and advocates through the approach we take with the roll-out of congestion pricing.

Most fundamentally, it is important to articulate that congestion pricing is more than just a toll. It is one crucial piece of a broader vision for our city's transportation future—saving drivers time and frustration while building a greener, world-class transportation system in New York City. How do we communicate this vision to the public in a clear and inspiring way, describing the specific benefits for various stakeholders so that congestion pricing is understood as an investment in a better city for all?

We need a compelling vision

To put this into perspective, NYC aims to generate $1 billion annually through the implementation of congestion pricing. This revenue will empower the MTA to borrow $15 billion to modernize our over 100-year-old transit system and boost ridership. Specifically, these funds will be instrumental in rehabilitating outdated subway signals to speed up service, making stations accessible, purchasing zero-emissions buses, and extending the Second Avenue subway to Harlem.

These projects are essential to meet the basic needs of our perpetually underinvested transit system. But the public could be forgiven for feeling underwhelmed if it seems like the revenue from a major new tolling program is being directed to a random assortment of projects and initiatives, many of which are just the bare minimum needed to keep the system from falling apart. To win widespread and lasting public support for congestion pricing, we need to know more than what projects the money collected will fund. We need a compelling vision that inspires—one that clearly shows how the many benefits to our communities far outweigh the inconvenience to some drivers. This vision should paint a clear picture of the positive changes these policies can bring, making a persuasive case for why they're not just necessary, but desirable. What is the transformative “big idea” that congestion pricing can help to achieve in New York? What kind of vision can create a sense of excitement and pride among New Yorkers? And how do we shape a coordinated communications and engagement strategy that brings it all together?

A critical shortcoming of New York City’s recent congestion pricing effort was the absence of a coordinated and proactive outreach strategy. While the MTA promoted the program’s importance and benefits through physical and digital signage within its system, and advocacy groups worked hard to build support, the lack of a comprehensive campaign at the city and state levels orphaned congestion pricing as a policy and allowed it to be perceived as “a solution in search of a problem.” Consequently, when the program was paused a month before its implementation, it was portrayed as the elimination of a penalty rather than the loss of tremendous benefits.

To avoid repeating these mistakes, we need to reframe congestion pricing within a compelling transportation vision for New York City. One possible narrative could focus on creating an affordable and accessible city for all New Yorkers. This vision would emphasize how congestion pricing, alongside other transformative projects, can improve public transportation for the vast majority, especially lower-income residents.

The core idea is simple, yet powerful: every New Yorker should have easy access to multiple ways of getting where they need to go within a reasonable timeframe. By prioritizing shared modes of transport and improving connectivity, we ensure that sustainable transportation modes become the preferred choice for New Yorkers, saving commuting time and unlocking economic opportunities. This approach not only addresses transportation affordability but allows us to build a New York where your zip code doesn’t determine your access to opportunity, and where public transit isn’t just a last resort. By presenting congestion pricing as a key component of this broader, more inspiring vision, we can shift public perception from seeing it as a punitive measure to recognizing it as a crucial step towards a more equitable and efficient city.

Cities around the world have embraced accessibility and reach as key targets in their urban planning strategies. Sydney, for instance has made the 30-minute city goal a cornerstone of its 40-year plan, with the aim for all residents to be able to reach one of three important regional centers in less than a half-hour by walking, biking, or transit. Singapore’s 2040 Land Transport Masterplan envisions a 45-minute city where residents can travel to any part of the city in 45 minutes or less using active mobility or transit options. Perhaps most famously, Paris garnered global attention by adopting the 15-minute city concept, rapidly building out a wide range of changes to create neighborhoods where residents live a short walk or bike ride from work, school, stores, and other aspects of daily life.   

What does an affordable and accessible New York City look like? What transformative transportation projects could make this vision a reality?

Imagine a New York where every neighborhood is seamlessly connected. Picture a Queens where the vibrant communities of northern Jackson Heights, Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, and northern Flushing are no longer isolated but integrated into an expanded, frequent transit network. Envision a Brooklyn where East Flatbush, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Flatlands, and Sheepshead Bay are no longer relative “transit deserts” but provide frequent, convenient connections to job hubs across the city.  

Funding from congestion pricing presents a unique opportunity for us to expand the reach of the existing subway system through new rapid bus service, light rail, or the strategic extension of existing subway lines, weaving communities together and bringing opportunities closer to those who need them.  

New York City’s lifeblood is its subway network, and expanding this vital system could transform urban mobility and economic opportunity. Congestion pricing revenue could contribute to visionary transit projects like extending the 7 or L line to New Jersey. While undoubtedly challenging, the extension of the 7 or L line would revolutionize cross-Hudson travel for millions. This ambitious undertaking would not only ease the burden on existing cross-Hudson infrastructure but also spur economic growth and create new opportunities on both sides of the river.

Congestion pricing funds could also contribute to extending our subway network deeper into the five boroughs. By focusing on strategic expansions that improve system operations, we can enhance accessibility and alleviate existing strain on heavily used lines. The Utica Ave subway extension in Brooklyn, the 2nd Avenue subway spur extension in the Bronx, and the Northern Boulevard subway are all key projects that can bring communities closer together and better distribute the benefits of our transit system more equitably.

Additionally, funds from congestion pricing could contribute to revolutionizing the entire New York Metro area transit experience by streamlining operations across various agencies. Envision an integrated regional rail network that dissolves operating boundaries between NJ TRANSIT, Metro-North Railroad, and the Long Island Rail Road from the customer’s perspective. A single fare could take you seamlessly from New Jersey to Long Island, with frequent service and coordinated schedules that make transfers effortless. Through-running lines would eliminate the need to change trains at terminal stations, systemwide fare integration would simplify travel across different services, and improved off-peak service that would provide a reliable and attractive alternative to driving at all hours.     

A seamless rail system could be supported by a strategic network of high-speed, high-capacity rapid bus corridors that help fill connectivity and accessibility gaps in key corridors across the city. Equipped with dedicated rights-of-way and smart traffic signals that prioritize bus movement, these corridors would complement the subway and rail network by providing reliable and swift connections with significant service increases for areas in the city not directly served by trains.

What if all our neighborhoods were connected by a lattice of comfortable, green, high-capacity routes for bikes and other micromobility modes that make it easy for all New Yorkers to embrace healthier and more sustainable travel options as part of their daily trips? Zero-emission e-cargo bikes can effortlessly navigate the city, delivering goods the last mile to their destinations sustainably and efficiently while our streets become less congested and more pedestrian-friendly.

Imagine all these options distributed equitably across the city, complemented by an integrated mobility wallet program for disadvantaged residents that guarantees “universal basic mobility” for all New Yorkers. This vision, while ambitious and long-term, is something positive we can work towards as a city and region. Congestion pricing can be the catalyst that brings the vision to life.

Shifting the narrative from penalty to collective investment in our shared future
The successful implementation of congestion pricing in New York City may very well hinge on our ability to present it as part of a larger, uplifting vision. By framing it within the context of creating a more affordable and accessible New York City, we can shift the narrative from one of penalty to one of collective investment in our shared future, with tangible benefits that people can envision in their daily lives. Realizing this vision requires a coordinated effort in communication, community engagement, and political leadership. As we move forward to recalibrate our approach for “congestion pricing 2.0,” we should embrace this opportunity to not just reduce traffic, but create a more equitable, livable, and vibrant New York City.