Latest news with #trafficreduction
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
New cycle lane among planned traffic changes in Exeter
A new cycle lane is among proposed changes with the aim of reducing traffic in Exeter to be discussed on Exeter Highways and Traffic Orders Committee (Hatoc) has put together plans to close off one road to motor vehicles and change waiting and parking restrictions in the Newtown area of the city.A contraflow cycle lane would be installed on Clifton Hill with a budget of just over £450,000 for all of the proposed project is the first major scheme put forward by the committee following widespread public anger and a subsequent policy U-turn over the low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) in the Heavitree area of Exeter. Foot and cycle The decision will be made by Hatoc - made up of councillors from Exeter City Council and Devon County Council - which is due to meet at County Hall at 14:00 political make-up of the committee has changed since the May elections at Devon County Council and now includes four Reform UK councillors, as well as four Labour members, three Greens, one Liberal Democrat and one plans recommend closing off part of Russell Street to cars and changing parking and waiting restrictions on Belmont Road, Clifton Hill, Clifton Street and Heavitree to a report prepared ahead of the meeting, Devon County Council wants "50% of all local trips to be undertaken by foot and by cycle in Exeter by 2030".
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
New York City's congestion pricing has cut pollution and traffic – but Trump still wants to kill it
It has faced threats and lawsuits and even had its death proclaimed by Donald Trump as he startlingly depicted himself as a king in a social media post. But New York City's congestion charge scheme for cars has now survived its first six months, producing perhaps the fastest ever environmental improvement from any policy in US history. New York vaulted into a global group of cities – such as London, Singapore and Stockholm – that charge cars for entering their traffic-clogged metropolitan hearts but also ushered in a measure that was unknown to Americans and initially unpopular with commuters, and was confronted by a new Trump administration determined to tear it down. But the six-month anniversary, on 5 July, of congestion pricing highlights a string of remarkable successes. Traffic congestion in Manhattan, site of the $9 charge zone, is substantially down, cars and buses are moving faster, air quality is improving as carbon emissions drop, a creaking public transportation system has new verve and there are fewer car accidents, injuries and opportunities for incandescent New Yorker honking and yelling. In an era of assaults upon climate policy and societal betterment in general across US and around the world, New York's congestion busting has been a rare flicker of progress in 2025. 'It's been even more obviously beneficial than even the most fervent proponents had hoped, and there have been really tangible improvements that are really gratifying,' said Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, a New York-based pro-transit group. 'It's been incredible to see.' Congestion pricing in New York had a tortured birth – the state's governor, Kathy Hochul, initially delayed it and cut the charge for drivers from $15 to $9, citing cost-of-living concerns – but since its January introduction the system appears to be achieving its aims. Spanning the southern tip of downtown Manhattan northwards to 60th Street, the congestion charge zone has slashed traffic delays by a quarter, with around 2m fewer cars a month now entering streets previously gridlocked in traffic. Vehicles that were previously crawling at a pace slower than a horse and cart are now moving more smoothly, with traffic speeds rising by 15%. Carbon pollution, meanwhile, has dropped by about 2.5%, with air pollution such as soot that can bury deep in people's lungs also down. Despite the faster traffic, fewer people are being directly hurt by car accidents, too. The experiment has been a reminder that cities aren't intrinsically noisy even if cars are – Furnas said that one of his favorite stats is that noise complaints along Canal Street, a key artery in lower Manhattan, have reduced by 70%. 'The quality-of-life improvement has been dramatic,' he said. 'Reducing pollution is often seen to involve a lot of sacrifices, but this has been different. People can see the improvements to their lives. There was this cynical assumption that this was a bullshit charge and life will stay the same but that assumption has gone away now.' Scaling public unpopularity in this way isn't new – London's congestion charge met initial opposition in 2003 and then, more recently, an expansion of the city's ultra-low emission zone (or Ulez) was bitterly contested. London's air quality has improved markedly and support has since edged up, though, a forerunner of the New York experience, where more people now support the charge than oppose it – a reversal of what the polls showed prior to its imposition. A primary motivation for the congestion charge was to raise funds for the beleaguered Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which presides over one of the most extensive public transport systems in the world but has struggled with a spluttering subway that runs on antediluvian technology through often squalid stations. Fears of subway-based crime, regularly amplified by the Trump administration, have also bedeviled the MTA's attempts to lure commuters back following Covid. Congestion pricing revenue, though, is on track to reach $500m this year, allowing upgrades to the subway, the purchase of several hundred new electric buses and improvements to regional rail. Hochul, with the zeal of new convert, said the scheme has been a 'huge success' and pointed out that people are still flocking to Manhattan stores, restaurants and Broadway shows, with pedestrian activity up 8% in May compared with the same month last year. Subway visits have also increased by 7%. 'We've also fended off five months of unlawful attempts from the federal government to unwind this successful program and will keep fighting – and winning – in the courts,' the governor said. 'The cameras are staying on.' Trump has continued his quest to kill off congestion charging in his native city, however, prematurely declaring success in this endeavor in a memorable February post on X in which he was depicted in an oil painting wearing a crown, triumphantly standing in front of the Empire State Building. 'CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!' the president wrote. Trump's Department of Transportation has attempted to withdraw federal approval of the scheme but its deadlines to end congestion pricing have so far been thwarted by the courts and the department has, in frustration, replaced its own lawyers, accusing them of undermining its case. Sean Duffy, the US transportation secretary, has said the charge is unfair to drivers and is 'classist' against the working poor (even though they overwhelmingly take buses or trains, rather than drive), and threatened to cut federal funding to New York transit. 'If you can't keep your subway safe, if people can't go to the subway and not be afraid of being stabbed or thrown in front of tracks or burned, we are going to pull your money,' Duffy said in March. The administration confirmed it will forge ahead with its legal battle. 'In the 11th hour of his failing administration, Joe Biden cowardly approved this absurd experiment that makes federally funded roads inaccessible to many taxpayers without giving them a toll-free alternative,' said a Department of Transportation spokesperson. 'We can all agree that the New York City subway needs fixing, but drivers should not be expected to foot the bill.' But the series of courtroom defeats suffered by the Trump administration have strengthened the congestion charge's future, according to Michael Gerrard, an environmental law expert at Columbia Law School. 'The administration have suffered a series of resounding defeats, they haven't got anywhere,' said Gerrard. 'It's clear that Donald Trump doesn't like New York City and wants to do anything he can to increase the use of fossil fuels. I don't know if Donald Trump has ever been on the subway.' Other opposition remains, too, although it has become more muted of late. A leading critique of congestion pricing was that it will simply pile up traffic at the boundaries of the charge zone, although a recent report found the opposite has occurred – traffic delays are down 10% in the Bronx and have even been reduced by 14% in the commuter belt of Bergen county, in New Jersey. 'Conceptually it's a good idea, but let's get a fair deal for Jersey,' conceded Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey, on a recent podcast with the comedian Hasan Minhaj. Murphy previously called the charge a 'disaster' and is still involved in legal action to stop it, although he now says he will accept a 'deal' whereby his state gets some of the revenue and the toll is lowered somewhat. Murphy acknowledged traffic is down but he questions if it will last. 'The data from London suggests it won't continue,' said the governor, pointing to how the UK capital is now the most congested city in Europe, with drivers spending an average of 101 hours sitting in traffic last year, despite its own toll. However, others think New York may be different, a long-term habit switch from driving thanks to its dense public transport links. If it survives its Trumpian attack, the scheme may even be replicated by cities elsewhere in the US. If highways and bridges can be tolled, as they often are in the US, why not the core of cities too? 'It's been such a success that I think others will look at this,' said Furnas. 'Not everywhere has New York's public transit, but we would be wise to apply these sort of benefits to other places, too.'
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
New York City's congestion pricing has cut pollution and traffic – but Trump still wants to kill it
It has faced threats and lawsuits and even had its death proclaimed by Donald Trump as he startlingly depicted himself as a king in a social media post. But New York City's congestion charge scheme for cars has now survived its first six months, producing perhaps the fastest ever environmental improvement from any policy in US history. New York vaulted into a global group of cities – such as London, Singapore and Stockholm – that charge cars for entering their traffic-clogged metropolitan hearts but also ushered in a measure that was unknown to Americans and initially unpopular with commuters, and was confronted by a new Trump administration determined to tear it down. But the six-month anniversary, on 5 July, of congestion pricing highlights a string of remarkable successes. Traffic congestion in Manhattan, site of the $9 charge zone, is substantially down, cars and buses are moving faster, air quality is improving as carbon emissions drop, a creaking public transportation system has new verve and there are fewer car accidents, injuries and opportunities for incandescent New Yorker honking and yelling. In an era of assaults upon climate policy and societal betterment in general across US and around the world, New York's congestion busting has been a rare flicker of progress in 2025. 'It's been even more obviously beneficial than even the most fervent proponents had hoped, and there have been really tangible improvements that are really gratifying,' said Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, a New York-based pro-transit group. 'It's been incredible to see.' Congestion pricing in New York had a tortured birth – the state's governor, Kathy Hochul, initially delayed it and cut the charge for drivers from $15 to $9, citing cost-of-living concerns – but since its January introduction the system appears to be achieving its aims. Spanning the southern tip of downtown Manhattan northwards to 60th Street, the congestion charge zone has slashed traffic delays by a quarter, with around 2m fewer cars a month now entering streets previously gridlocked in traffic. Vehicles that were previously crawling at a pace slower than a horse and cart are now moving more smoothly, with traffic speeds rising by 15%. Carbon pollution, meanwhile, has dropped by about 2.5%, with air pollution such as soot that can bury deep in people's lungs also down. Despite the faster traffic, fewer people are being directly hurt by car accidents, too. The experiment has been a reminder that cities aren't intrinsically noisy even if cars are – Furnas said that one of his favorite stats is that noise complaints along Canal Street, a key artery in lower Manhattan, have reduced by 70%. 'The quality-of-life improvement has been dramatic,' he said. 'Reducing pollution is often seen to involve a lot of sacrifices, but this has been different. People can see the improvements to their lives. There was this cynical assumption that this was a bullshit charge and life will stay the same but that assumption has gone away now.' Scaling public unpopularity in this way isn't new – London's congestion charge met initial opposition in 2003 and then, more recently, an expansion of the city's ultra-low emission zone (or Ulez) was bitterly contested. London's air quality has improved markedly and support has since edged up, though, a forerunner of the New York experience, where more people now support the charge than oppose it – a reversal of what the polls showed prior to its imposition. A primary motivation for the congestion charge was to raise funds for the beleaguered Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which presides over one of the most extensive public transport systems in the world but has struggled with a spluttering subway that runs on antediluvian technology through often squalid stations. Fears of subway-based crime, regularly amplified by the Trump administration, have also bedeviled the MTA's attempts to lure commuters back following Covid. Congestion pricing revenue, though, is on track to reach $500m this year, allowing upgrades to the subway, the purchase of several hundred new electric buses and improvements to regional rail. Hochul, with the zeal of new convert, said the scheme has been a 'huge success' and pointed out that people are still flocking to Manhattan stores, restaurants and Broadway shows, with pedestrian activity up 8% in May compared with the same month last year. Subway visits have also increased by 7%. 'We've also fended off five months of unlawful attempts from the federal government to unwind this successful program and will keep fighting – and winning – in the courts,' the governor said. 'The cameras are staying on.' Trump has continued his quest to kill off congestion charging in his native city, however, prematurely declaring success in this endeavor in a memorable February post on X in which he was depicted in an oil painting wearing a crown, triumphantly standing in front of the Empire State Building. 'CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!' the president wrote. Trump's Department of Transportation has attempted to withdraw federal approval of the scheme but its deadlines to end congestion pricing have so far been thwarted by the courts and the department has, in frustration, replaced its own lawyers, accusing them of undermining its case. Sean Duffy, the US transportation secretary, has said the charge is unfair to drivers and is 'classist' against the working poor (even though they overwhelmingly take buses or trains, rather than drive), and threatened to cut federal funding to New York transit. 'If you can't keep your subway safe, if people can't go to the subway and not be afraid of being stabbed or thrown in front of tracks or burned, we are going to pull your money,' Duffy said in March. The administration confirmed it will forge ahead with its legal battle. 'In the 11th hour of his failing administration, Joe Biden cowardly approved this absurd experiment that makes federally funded roads inaccessible to many taxpayers without giving them a toll-free alternative,' said a Department of Transportation spokesperson. 'We can all agree that the New York City subway needs fixing, but drivers should not be expected to foot the bill.' But the series of courtroom defeats suffered by the Trump administration have strengthened the congestion charge's future, according to Michael Gerrard, an environmental law expert at Columbia Law School. 'The administration have suffered a series of resounding defeats, they haven't got anywhere,' said Gerrard. 'It's clear that Donald Trump doesn't like New York City and wants to do anything he can to increase the use of fossil fuels. I don't know if Donald Trump has ever been on the subway.' Other opposition remains, too, although it has become more muted of late. A leading critique of congestion pricing was that it will simply pile up traffic at the boundaries of the charge zone, although a recent report found the opposite has occurred – traffic delays are down 10% in the Bronx and have even been reduced by 14% in the commuter belt of Bergen county, in New Jersey. 'Conceptually it's a good idea, but let's get a fair deal for Jersey,' conceded Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey, on a recent podcast with the comedian Hasan Minhaj. Murphy previously called the charge a 'disaster' and is still involved in legal action to stop it, although he now says he will accept a 'deal' whereby his state gets some of the revenue and the toll is lowered somewhat. Murphy acknowledged traffic is down but he questions if it will last. 'The data from London suggests it won't continue,' said the governor, pointing to how the UK capital is now the most congested city in Europe, with drivers spending an average of 101 hours sitting in traffic last year, despite its own toll. However, others think New York may be different, a long-term habit switch from driving thanks to its dense public transport links. If it survives its Trumpian attack, the scheme may even be replicated by cities elsewhere in the US. If highways and bridges can be tolled, as they often are in the US, why not the core of cities too? 'It's been such a success that I think others will look at this,' said Furnas. 'Not everywhere has New York's public transit, but we would be wise to apply these sort of benefits to other places, too.'
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NYC Congestion Pricing Is Wildly Successful, So Of Course It's Become A Political Battleground
In shocking news (that isn't all that shocking) New York City's controversial congestion-pricing plan has made good on all its promises. Traffic in the so-called "Congestion Relief Zone" below 60th Street in Manhattan has been greatly reduced. Backups at bridges and tunnels are far less common. And the city is raking in millions from the $9 per vehicle toll. Oh, and lots of people aren't choking on fumes or being killed by cars. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the plan has kept around 10 million vehicles from entering Manhattan and is on track to raise $500 million in revenue this year, according to Gothamist. About 30 percent fewer traffic-related fatalities have been recorded during the first half of 2025 versus that same period in 2024. Public transit ridership numbers are also up. Of course, in the face of such wild success, it only makes sense that the Trump administration would continue to assault the city, forcing it to contend with funding threats and federal lawsuits almost since the plan debuted. Read more: These Are The Worst Transmission Recalls Of The Last 5 Years Before congestion pricing, it was hardly cheap to drive into Manhattan from New Jersey or Long Island. Passenger vehicles are charged a $22 toll to use the city's bridges and tunnels. An E-ZPass lowers that cost, but not by a massive amount. The Lincoln Tunnel, to use just one example, was tolled from the day it opened in 1937, so the economic "negative externality" of adding your vehicle to traffic, using the tunnel, was always priced. Over time, however, Manhattan gridlock became a significant issue – as did deferred maintenance on NYC's vast transportation system. Once you paid to use a bridge or tunnel, you were free to congest Manhattan to your heart's content, feasting on an unpriced externality. Having driven in the city for 30 years, I experienced firsthand the degradation in quality of life that this pattern generated (even if I sometimes experienced it a neon green Italian supercar). Once it became clear that London's congestion charge, rolled out in 2003, was bona fide societal good, it was clear someday New York City would come to its senses. Diving in Manhattan will never be blissful, but let me tell you, a journey from suburban New Jersey to, say, Brooklyn is now a manageable undertaking rather than a soul-destroying slog. I now even sometimes choose to take the Holland Tunnel, formerly the piece of transportation infrastructure I most thoroughly despised. Traversing Midtown is almost orderly. The reduction in stress that congestion pricing has delivered is entirely worth the nine bucks. In the face of making money and saving lives, Republicans and some Democrats are still fighting over whether the plan should continue. Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy claimed it was unfair to working-class commuters in the region and demanded that NYC dismantle it. But Gov. Hochul wasn't always a vigorous advocate: she stalled implementation last June at the 11th hour, when pressure mounted from Democratic politicians in New York and New Jersey who feared blowback from constituents. She was joined by NJ Gov. Phil Murphy, also a Democrat. When the plan finally went live – after the November 2024 elections – the original $15 toll was lowered to the current $9. Despite all that, Gothamist reported that the influx of revenue from what's officially known as a "Central Business District Tolling Program" is now so big that NYC now feels confident moving forward with a $15-billion program to upgrade the region's beleaguered subways and commuter rail lines. It's all going so well (not exactly a common occurrence in the Big Apple) that politics should fall by the wayside. This one isn't worth fighting over anymore. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NYC Congestion Pricing Is Wildly Successful, So Of Course It's Become A Political Battleground
In shocking news (that isn't all that shocking) New York City's controversial congestion-pricing plan has made good on all its promises. Traffic in the so-called "Congestion Relief Zone" below 60th Street in Manhattan has been greatly reduced. Backups at bridges and tunnels are far less common. And the city is raking in millions from the $9 per vehicle toll. Oh, and lots of people aren't choking on fumes or being killed by cars. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the plan has kept around 10 million vehicles from entering Manhattan and is on track to raise $500 million in revenue this year, according to Gothamist. About 30 percent fewer traffic-related fatalities have been recorded during the first half of 2025 versus that same period in 2024. Public transit ridership numbers are also up. Of course, in the face of such wild success, it only makes sense that the Trump administration would continue to assault the city, forcing it to contend with funding threats and federal lawsuits almost since the plan debuted. Read more: These Are The Worst Transmission Recalls Of The Last 5 Years Before congestion pricing, it was hardly cheap to drive into Manhattan from New Jersey or Long Island. Passenger vehicles are charged a $22 toll to use the city's bridges and tunnels. An E-ZPass lowers that cost, but not by a massive amount. The Lincoln Tunnel, to use just one example, was tolled from the day it opened in 1937, so the economic "negative externality" of adding your vehicle to traffic, using the tunnel, was always priced. Over time, however, Manhattan gridlock became a significant issue – as did deferred maintenance on NYC's vast transportation system. Once you paid to use a bridge or tunnel, you were free to congest Manhattan to your heart's content, feasting on an unpriced externality. Having driven in the city for 30 years, I experienced firsthand the degradation in quality of life that this pattern generated (even if I sometimes experienced it a neon green Italian supercar). Once it became clear that London's congestion charge, rolled out in 2003, was bona fide societal good, it was clear someday New York City would come to its senses. Diving in Manhattan will never be blissful, but let me tell you, a journey from suburban New Jersey to, say, Brooklyn is now a manageable undertaking rather than a soul-destroying slog. I now even sometimes choose to take the Holland Tunnel, formerly the piece of transportation infrastructure I most thoroughly despised. Traversing Midtown is almost orderly. The reduction in stress that congestion pricing has delivered is entirely worth the nine bucks. In the face of making money and saving lives, Republicans and some Democrats are still fighting over whether the plan should continue. Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy claimed it was unfair to working-class commuters in the region and demanded that NYC dismantle it. But Gov. Hochul wasn't always a vigorous advocate: she stalled implementation last June at the 11th hour, when pressure mounted from Democratic politicians in New York and New Jersey who feared blowback from constituents. She was joined by NJ Gov. Phil Murphy, also a Democrat. When the plan finally went live – after the November 2024 elections – the original $15 toll was lowered to the current $9. Despite all that, Gothamist reported that the influx of revenue from what's officially known as a "Central Business District Tolling Program" is now so big that NYC now feels confident moving forward with a $15-billion program to upgrade the region's beleaguered subways and commuter rail lines. It's all going so well (not exactly a common occurrence in the Big Apple) that politics should fall by the wayside. This one isn't worth fighting over anymore. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
