{"id":1007919,"date":"2026-08-18T04:30:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T04:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1007919\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T04:30:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T04:30:29","slug":"nyc-drivers-shell-out-9-congestion-toll-city-admits-it-failed-to-improve-air-quality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1007919\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC drivers shell out $9 congestion toll. City admits it failed to improve air quality"},"content":{"rendered":"

A lofty\u00a0New York City\u00a0<\/a>toll slapped on drivers in an effort to reduce congestion and improve air quality produced nearly no change in pollution after its first year, according to the city\u2019s own analysis.<\/p>\n

The New York City Health Department\u2019s\u00a0report<\/a>, released Friday, examined four traffic-related pollutants inside Manhattan\u2019s Congestion Relief Zone since the $9 toll was implemented last year. Researchers found that the city\u2019s overall\u00a0pollution levels<\/a>\u00a0remained largely unchanged, with no statistically significant improvement attributable to the toll.<\/p>\n

Still, officials in the Big Apple touted the study as the city\u2019s most comprehensive look at congestion pricing\u2019s effect on air quality to date.<\/p>\n

They pointed to reduced traffic, public transit improvements, less traffic noise and other benefits as positive outcomes from the toll being implemented in January 2025. All similar things that New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul hailed in a June 2023 speech when she backed congestion pricing.<\/p>\n

Despite an 11% drop in traffic <\/a>since implementation, the Health Department said vehicles account for only about 10% of the city\u2019s pollution, meaning fewer cars alone is not expected to significantly improve overall air quality. Unlike many parts of the country, where cars and trucks are a major source of air pollution, New York City\u2019s emissions come largely from other sources.<\/p>\n

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during a press conference regarding congestion pricing in New York City. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s dense concentration of buildings, which burn fuel for heat and hot water, along with emissions from restaurants and power plants that supply the most populated U.S. city with electricity, are reasons for its poor air quality.<\/p>\n

Findings in the recent report could backfire and provide fresh ammunition to critics who have blasted congestion pricing as an expensive burden on commuters, small businesses and working families in America\u2019s largest city.<\/p>\n

The New York City Health Department and Hochul\u2019s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n

New York City\u2019s congestion pricing toll applies to passenger vehicles entering the Congestion Relief Zone in Manhattan at or below 60th Street. The lofty $9 toll applies to E-ZPass users once a day during peak hours, which are weekdays from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and weekends from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.<\/p>\n

Cars pass under toll machines on Broadway in Manhattan. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

All other off-peak hours require a $2.25 toll.<\/p>\n

Those who do not have E-ZPass could face toll-by-mail rates that are about 50% more than the typical charge.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have been among the program\u2019s most prominent opponents, with Duffy previously calling the toll a \u201cslap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Trump administration also attempted to withdraw federal approval for the Biden-era program, but a federal judge ruled in March that the effort was unlawful.<\/p>\n

Following that ruling, Gov. Hochul called congestion pricing a \u201conce-in-a-lifetime success story,\u201d saying its first year brought \u201creduced gridlock, faster trips, safer streets, and cleaner air\u201d while generating funding for mass transit upgrades.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongestion pricing is legal, it works, and it is here to stay,\u201d Hochul said in a March 3 statement.<\/p>\n

Despite an 11% traffic drop, the Health Department found vehicles cause only 10% of city pollution, limiting air quality gains. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

For now, the toll remains, traffic is down, but the city\u2019s first-year data show no statistically significant improvement in air quality.<\/p>\n

Some online critics pounced on the findings, dragging up a 2023 speech where Hochul promised: \u201cWith congestion pricing New Yorkers have a lot to lose. How about 15 to 20% fewer vehicles in the central business district every single day? Less noise, less honking, less gridlock.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about less air pollution, lower carbon emissions, lower speeds, fewer crashes?\u201d she went on. \u201cI don\u2019t mind losing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKathy Hochul\u2019s congestion pricing did not significantly improve air quality in Manhattan like she promised it would. Who could\u2019ve possibly seen this coming?\u201d wrote the popular right-wing X account called Libs of TikTok.<\/p>\n

Another account noted: \u201cHochul looked right into the camera and swore this toll would scrub the air and let kids with asthma breathe easier. When they wrap a new tax in an environmental bow, the only thing that ever improves is the government\u2019s balance sheet.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A lofty\u00a0New York City\u00a0toll slapped on drivers in an effort to reduce congestion and improve air quality produced…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1007920,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5122],"tags":[2529,5229,19615,13845,20503,5248,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,88202,67,586,132,5230,68,1154,2969],"class_list":["post-1007919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-air","tag-america","tag-commuters","tag-congestion-pricing","tag-driving","tag-metro","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkcity","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-health-and-hospitals","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-us-news","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117114635957981627","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1007919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1007920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1007919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1007919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1007919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}