Statement attributable to Kate Slevin, Executive Vice President of Regional Plan Association.

“The NYC DOT’s newly released Central Business District Tolling Program Parking Study adds to a growing body of evidence showing that congestion pricing is delivering on its promises while many of its potential downsides simply haven’t materialized. NYC DOT’s analysis found little evidence that congestion pricing has meaningfully affected parking availability or demand in neighborhoods in and near the tolling zone, reinforcing what we’ve seen after the program’s first year: less traffic, faster bus trips, more reliable travel times, and no widespread spillover impacts.

RPA’s own analysis after the first six-month of the program showed that congestion pricing was not only reducing traffic in the Central Business District as designed, but it is also easing congestion outside the zone in the four outer boroughs and neighboring areas of New Jersey, Long Island, and Westchester. RPA’s one-year performance index, co-authored with researchers from the Sam Schwartz Transportation Research Program at Hunter College, further demonstrated that congestion pricing continued to reduce delays across the region, improve bus performance, strengthen the economy, and generate critical funding for transit investments. As more data become available, the case for congestion pricing continues to grow stronger, and the focus should be on building on its success—not revisiting myths that the evidence no longer supports.”