Pedestrian traffic on New York City's busiest streets increased in January 2025 as motorists began paying a new toll to drive into those same neighborhoods—now deemed the congestion-pricing zone. Nearly 36 million people were in areas south of 60th Street in Manhattan in January, a 4.6% boost from the previous year, according to the deputy director of policy and external relations at Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Juliette Michaelson.

The increase surpasses the 1.6% gain outside the area, according to the data compiled by the New York City Economic Development Corp, indicating that congestion pricing in its first month did not curb the desire and need for residents and visitors to access Midtown and lower Manhattan for work, school, appointments, shopping and nightlife. "For those worried that making it harder to drive in the zone would reduce the number of people in the zone, that does not seem to be the case," said Michaelson in an interview with Bloomberg.

The MTA began charging most motorists $9.00 to drive south of 60th Street during peak hours as of January 5, 2025. Transit advocates and environmental groups have supported the initiative, but its critics have said it will hinder New York's economic growth following the pandemic. MTA officials expect the new toll to raise $15 billion that it will use to modernize a more than century-old transit system, and the program is expected to reduce air pollution while easing traffic in one of the most congested urban areas in the world.

Automobile traffic has decreased since congestion-pricing began, with 1.2 million fewer vehicles south of 60th Street between January 5-31, a 7.5% drop—improving morning commute times through the Holland Tunnel by 48% according to MTA data.

According to Bloomberg reporting, the initiative seems to be gaining public support, with 6 of 10 voters expressing that congestion pricing should be allowed to continue in a poll commissioned by the Partnership for New York City conducted in early February, though it is possible that the Trump administration may choose to end congestion pricing by directing the Federal Highway Administration to seek additional environmental review for the project or rip up a tolling agreement among federal, state, and city transportation officials that was signed in November 2024.

Source: Bloomberg