A $9 fee to enter downtown New York City during peak periods has resulted in smoother traffic, improved air quality, and fewer noise complaints.
The city's congestion charge zone, which went into effect in January 2025, spans the southern tip of downtown Manhattan north to 60th Street, and it has reduced traffic delays by a quarter, according to research cited by The Guardian.
Meanwhile, the policy has helped reduce carbon pollution by 2.5%.
Air pollution exposure has been correlated with a number of harmful health impacts, such as stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and pneumonia, according to the World Health Organization.
One study even found that air pollution increases dementia risk among cardiometabolic disease patients, and another paper linked it to a loss of independence later in life.
Traffic-related pollution is also a major contributor to the overheating of our planet, which is set to cause a slew of other negative health impacts, including a rise in mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue, as the World Mosquito Program explained.
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New York City's congestion pricing has also reduced traffic-related injuries, while noise complaints along Canal Street — one of Manhattan's major arteries — are down by 70%.
Meanwhile, pedestrian traffic was up by 8% in May 2025 compared to May 2024, and subway visits have increased by 7%.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul called the city's congestion pricing a "huge success" as it hit its six-month anniversary in July, according to Fox 5.
And while some people, including President Donald Trump, complained that the pricing was "classist," others disputed this claim.
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"A very, very small portion of drivers who enter Midtown Manhattan during business hours are economically disadvantaged," Eric Goldstein, a senior attorney and New York City environment director at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in an explainer prior to the implementation of the policy.
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