Congestion Pricing Hits New York City and Stuyvesant Families

Michelle Huang was a Humor editor for The Spectator.

New York City’s worsening urban gridlock has led to increasing air pollution and stalling traffic times, causing the legislature to put an attempted solution in place. On January 5, 2025, a first-in-the-nation congestion pricing plan in New York City was signed into effect. Drivers of passenger vehicles entering the “Congestion Relief Zone”—Manhattan below 60th Street—will be charged between three and nine dollars for entry in an attempt to alleviate heavy street congestion. However, these charges will not be applied to those commuting through Manhattan via its major expressways—namely the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive and the West Side Highway. After years of deliberation and several delays, Governor Kathy Hochul’s office gave the go-ahead on November 14, 2024.

Congestion pricing is a traffic management strategy designed to reduce urban gridlock and improve air quality in the city; vehicles are charged a fee to enter certain high-traffic zones in hopes of deterring many drivers from entering these densely-packed areas. The fees are typically dynamic—fluctuating depending on the time of day, traffic level, and sometimes vehicle type. The revenue gained is then used to improve public transportation and infrastructure. By encouraging alternatives like carpooling or public transit, congestion pricing aims to create a more efficient and environmentally sustainable urban transportation network.

Since Stuyvesant students hail from all across New York City—and a variety of staff commute in from New Jersey and other places outside the five boroughs—many in the Stuy community have been impacted by the recent policy change. Trips to and from the school can cost upwards of $20 for some individuals, compounded with further tolls when crossing various bridges and tunnels.

Although students and teachers are affected by this, some believe it is possible to adapt. “I would say, from talking to students, the average commute is an hour. My commute is an hour and 15 minutes on a good day. A lot of teachers really travel far to get here and their commutes are around an hour as well […] I bike to the train; I take one train to another train; and then I walk to Stuyvesant. So, it can be done. It is a mindset that I don’t think people who drive really have considered, thoroughly. 
It’s not something everyone can do […] but it can be done, and you just get used to it,” AP Environmental Science teacher Jerry Citron said.

Some proponents of congestion pricing praise its economic benefits—the revenue will go toward the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), which is a system in need of maintenance. “Economically, it’s a very sound proposal […] it is a good idea because it taxes the externality of congestion […] which is something that’s not priced [….] by taxing it, you discourage it,” senior and Stuyvesant Transit and Urbanism Association member Muhib Muhib said. 

Advocates of congestion pricing also acknowledge positive environmental impacts that go beyond economics. “The benefits are that it will reduce some nitrous oxides in the environment, so air pollution will improve. Traffic accidents will go down; traffic to get from place to place will go down. Wear and tear on city streets will be mitigated. And, people might finally see the value—or at least be forced to see the value—in public transportation,” Citron said.

Proponents of congestion pricing often refer to statistics that demonstrate the plan’s success—specifically how traffic and vehicular activity in the Congestion Relief Zone have gone down. “There is a congestion price tracker site, and it’s clear that congestion has gone down […] there are seven percent less vehicles, and travel times have significantly gone down [34 percent per MTA figures],” Muhib said.

Stuyvesant students also back up this data with accounts of their own personal experiences being driven to school every day, pointing to congestion pricing’s effect on travel efficiency. “Lately, my dad’s been telling me how the traffic is going down while we’re going to school. There’s a lack of cars, and our commute time has definitely gone down,” junior Cody Cai said.

Additionally, families of some students who are driven to school do not find the extra congestion charge to be an exorbitant expense. “My mom got charged nine dollars once, even though she drove in and out of Manhattan four times, and when she saw that’s how much she was charged, she seemed chill with paying that,” senior Michelle Huang said.

On the other hand, other families express concerns that the charges will add up, especially after the fee is projected to increase in years to come. “If we were to drive now, we would pay 300 plus dollars every month. 18 dollars every day adds up over a long period of time,” sophomore Tyler Kim said. 

Many opponents of congestion pricing believe that the same economic benefits could come from other forms of taxation instead of from people who need to drive. “If the state and the city want a better transportation system, we are already paying a lot of taxes in New York and New York City. It’s where they set the priorities,” band teacher Dr. Gregor Winkel said. 

In addition, although there are indeed initial benefits, many people believe that there should at least be exceptions to the pricing. “I think there should be exemptions for essential services. That’s something that really needs to be explored; these essential services include fire, police, medical personnel, and people who take care of those that can’t take care of themselves,” Citron said.

Inclusivity for people with disabilities or other limitations is also a big priority for many citizens. “There’s a lot of people that cannot take the subway. There are people that need to go to their doctor for treatments. Memorial Sloan Kettering, for example: the outpatient facility is below 60th Street. They have to go to their cancer treatments […] if you’re sick or an elderly person, you might not be able to take the subway. They charge us teachers when we try to go to our job; they charge nurses that have to do their jobs at night,” Dr. Winkel said. 

Congestion pricing may also add travel times for those who cannot easily access public transportation, such as people living in transportation deserts like New Jersey. Since travel time is a major factor in deciding whether to drive, people believe that the system should change. “It also needs to be in conjunction with where these people live. Do they really need to drive into the city to get to where they need to go, or is it because they just want to drive for convenience?” Citron said. 

Many people also question whether the MTA is ready to handle an influx of commuters on buses and subways as a result of congestion pricing. “I’ve noticed that the LIRR gets really crowded in the mornings now when I take it to school. I can never find a seat, “ Kim said. 

Others believe that the systemic change should be in pricing, with fees possibly starting out higher than nine dollars. Even those who are “pro-congestion pricing” take issue with the system being implemented; they believe the city is not raising enough money. “I would be fine with it being higher. But you need to be sure you can implement it. Congestion pricing generally tends to be unpopular after it launches, and then public support starts to go up,” Muhib said.

Many are also concerned about how congestion pricing has just pushed traffic above the Congestion Relief Zone. “It’s not a surprise that people try to avoid it […] there are people already complaining that they cannot find parking above 60th Street anymore. Also, people feel locked out on the West Side.” Winkel said.

Despite this new program and its perceived benefits, there is still a long road ahead for public transit, and more MTA-specific hurdles lie in the way of achieving better service for New Yorkers. “[T]here are some inefficiencies with the MTA; those can be fixed. A key action that leads to these inefficiencies is that the MTA offloads work to contractors […] The [promised gains] will exist but will be slower due to these inefficiencies […] I think more money is useful, but you need to spend it strategically and wisely,” Muhib said.

With the new policy in action, educators also wonder whether students should be educated in order to become aware of the new policy. “I think they should [be educated]. It’s one of those policies that’s going to affect their lives in the city. When they get older, they’re going to want to consider whether they want to live in New York City or not. What I think they should be thinking about is how this might improve the transportation system at large […] through jumping turnstiles being mitigated—and as congestion pricing becomes something that, over time, generates a lot of revenue—we’ll have a lot of money that will hopefully go into this system and make it much, much better,” Citron said.

Overall, congestion pricing has its upsides through funding New York’s transportation system, but many believe that the system is not ready to handle such a change. The plan also forces people to bear the weight of such a fee. “[Advocates of congestion pricing] are always referring to London. London did that before [New York] even started this. They made sure that people have an alternative. It should be a no brainer. Then people say, am I crazy to drive? The subway is so great. The connection to New Jersey is so great. Why would I take the car? That’s how it’s supposed to be—intrinsic motivation. Right now, they just put it on us,” Dr. Winkel said.

Nevertheless, others believe that New York is ready for a change, and they are optimistic that other cities in America may incorporate the same idea. “My feeling is that it’s going to be a really big win for the city. A lot of cities have done it, and there were growing pains. They do it in England; they do it in Stockholm; they do it in London; it’s done really good things for those environments. So, I guess it’s a wait and see, but I am optimistic that this is something that will catch fire in other cities. We drive too much in America. We use too many fossil fuels in America. We should start thinking about doing things a little differently. Plus, it’s a lot healthier to walk to the train,” Citron said.