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NOVEMBER 20th marksINRIXMTAMTAMTATYMTA, US Your browser does not support the element. the first “Gridlock Alert” day of New York City’s holiday season. This is the official designation for the city’s busiest traffic days of the year. But traffic is bad most days, with more than 900,000 cars entering Manhattan’s central business district. , a traffic-data firm, found that New York City leads the world in urban traffic congestion among the cities scored, with the average driver stationary for 101 hours a year. After years of false starts, including a cowardly pre-election pause by Kathy Hochul, New York’s Democratic governor, congestion pricing has the green light.Back in June, Ms Hochul claimed the toll of $15 could “break the budget of a working- or middle-class household”. Sceptics point out that parking in Manhattan often costs $30 an hour. An early-bird all-day special might cost $60. Ms Hochul’s real concern was the congressional districts on Long Island and in Westchester County, where commuters were not happy. But with the election of Donald Trump, no fan of road pricing, and with House Democrats flipping some swing districts, last week Ms Hochul gave the go-ahead, albeit at a reduced price of $9.The scheme is not only designed to cut traffic: it also is a revenue stream for repairs and upgrades for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (). The authority runs the subway, buses and commuter lines to the suburbs, as well as some tunnels and bridges, and will now implement congestion pricing. On November 18th its board approved the new $9 toll. Eventually it will increase to $12 and then $15 in 2031 (if it actually happens this time).The scheme, a cousin of the one that in London made traffic better, improved air quality and raised revenue, is not quite a sure thing. The is primarily New York’s business, but it receives 10-20% of its capital budget from the federal government, which gives Washington leverage. And the incoming administration is not over-fond of schemes for pricing externalities dreamt up by economists. Advocates of the toll think a speedy implementation is therefore key. Kate Slevin of the Regional Plan Association, which has been pushing for pricing for decades, is delighted congestion pricing has been resurrected, but says: “There is a sense of urgency to get the scheme up and running.” Sam Schwartz, better known to New Yorkers as “Gridlock Sam”, fears “There is a snowball’s chance in hell to get this passed with the Trump administration.”His fears are valid. Had Ms Hochul gone ahead with the scheme in June, it may not have been on Mr Trump’s radar. Now New York’s House Republicans are urging him to kill pricing once he is back in the White House. Mike Lawler, a Republican who represents the Hudson Valley and is a possible challenger to Ms Hochul in 2026, has been particularly outspoken. There are also several legal challenges, including one filed by neighbouring New Jersey. In Washington, Josh Gottheimer, a Democratic congressman from New Jersey, hopes the House will advance a bipartisan bill to deprive the of federal dollars.Mr Schwartz finds the opposition galling: “People seem to think that free passage was guaranteed when our country was created in our constitution.” Tolls were in place until 1911 on the four East River bridges. “I haven’t met anyone who loves congestion, have you?” asks Michael Shamma of lin, an engineering firm. He says pricing was presented as a means to raise money for the and that was “the wrong reasoning”: emphasis should have been put on the benefits of reduced traffic, from clean air to a stronger economy. The city has just hosted a marathon; it now needs to sprint.
