New York Declares War On Traffic (A Congestion Pricing Story)

Our good friends at Climate Changemakers have made a playbook to help you contact Kathy Hochul to tell her what you think about congestion pricing. But only do that if you LIVE IN NEW YORK STATE. For the rest of you, you can contact your representatives about people-centric planning and policy in your area. Or really whatever you want: https://www.climatechangemakers.org/c...

Special thanks to all the experts we talked to for their knowledge and help on this episode:

• Charles Komanoff – https://www.komanoff.net/cars_II/

• Jon Orcutt – @jonorcutt.bsky.social Doug Gordon (The War on Cars – more below)

• Sarah Goodyear (The War on Cars – more below)

• Henry Grabar – https://www.henrygrabar.com/

• Michael Manville – https://luskin.ucla.edu/person/michae...

If you want learn more about refocusing cities on people instead of cars, you really should check out The War on Cars, a great podcast hosted by Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon: https://thewaroncars.org/

Sources & Citations

Citations reference first appearance, without repeating for subsequent usage:

• The White House (via X): "CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!" –President Donald J. Trump (2025)

• The New York Times: What to Know About Congestion Pricing (2024)

• The New York Times: How the Costs of Car Ownership Add Up (2023)

• Diamond Credit Union: The True Cost of Owning a Car (2024)

• Transfers Magazine: Longer View: The Fairness of Congestion Pricing (2019)

• AAA: Annual New Car Ownership Costs Boil Over $12K (2023)

• The New York Times: The Rising Costs of Owning a Car (2023)

• Tax Policy Center: How do state and local motor fuel taxes work?(accessed 2025)

• National Library of Medicine: Air pollution and health risks due to vehicle traffic (2013)

• Journal of Transport Geography: Car harm: A global review of automobility's harm to people and the environment (2024)

• World Health Organization: Road traffic injuries (2023)

• Nurture Nature Foundation Videos (via YouTube): Transportation Press Conference Dec 16 1969 FULL VIDEO (recorded 1969, uploaded 2024)

• History: Irish Republican Army: Timeline (2019, updated 2025)

• BBC News: First congestion fines to go out (2003)

• The Conversation: London congestion charge: what worked, what didn’t, what next (2018, published 2019)

• Transport for London: Central London congestion charging: Impacts monitoring: Fourth Annual Report (2006)

• AP Archive: Cuomo: Penn Station 'Summer of Hell' Coming (2017)

• WBAI: Governor Cuomo Lowers Tolls on Verrazano Bridge (2014)

• The New York State Senate: Governor Cuomo and Senator Lanza Announce Relief for Staten Island Toll Players (2014)

• Streetsblog NYC: Four Reminders of Andrew Cuomo’s Disastrous Record on City Transportation (2025)

• The New York Times: Cuomo Steps Into Transit Fray With Ideas for After ‘Summer of Hell’ (2017)

• The New York Times: Andy Byford Resigns as New York City’s Subway Chief (2020)

• Fix NYC Advisory Panel Report (2018)

• MTA Annual Disclosure Statement Update (2021)

• The Washington Spectator: Hochul Murder Mystery (2024)

• The Official Website of the City of New York: Congestion Pricing Program (accessed 2025)

• MTA: Congestion Relief Zone toll rate calculator (accessed 2025)

• Congestion Relief Zone Tolling, January 29, 2025 Update (2025)

• MTA: MTA Releases Revenue From Congestion Relief Zone Tolling Showing Program in Line With Projections (2025)

• NBC News: Traffic in NYC cost drivers more than $1,800 in productivity in 2024, report says (2025)

• The New York Times: 7 Years After ‘Summer of Hell,’ the Subway Is Approaching Another Crisis (2024)

• Partnership Fund for New York City: NEW POLL: NY Voters Say Congestion Pricing Has Led to Faster Commutes and Less Traffic (2025)

• The New York Times: Congestion Pricing’s Impact on New York? These 3 Cities Offer a Glimpse. (2023)

• The Nurture Nature Foundation: Balanced Transportation Analyzer

• The Secretary of Transportation: Letter to the Honorable Kathy Hochul, February 19, 2025 (2025)

• The New York Times: Trump Administration Moves to End New York’s Congestion Pricing Tolls (2025)

• Slate: Revenge of the Bridge-and-Tunnel President (2025)

• MTA: Bridges and Tunnels tolls by vehicle (2023)

• CBS News: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says FAA cuts won't affect flight safety (2025)

• United States District Court Southern District of New York: METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY and TRIBOROUGH BRIDGE AND TUNNEL AUTHORITY v. SEAN DUFFY (2025)

• Face the Nation: Gov. Kathy Hochul responds to Trump administration pulling NYC congestion pricing approval (2025)

• Secretary Sean Duffy (via X): Hard working New Yorkers aren’t pissed off at the White House.  They’re pissed off about being charged $9 to use their own streets. Don’t take it from me, listen to what the people have to say about New York’s congestion pricing cash grab. End the disconnect. End congestion pricing. Now. (2025)

• Streetsblog NYC: The Explainer: What To Know About The MTA’s New Congestion Pricing-Backed Debt (2025)

• The New York Times: New York City Welcomes Congestion Pricing With Fanfare and Complaints (2025)

• MTA: The Future Rides With Us, 2025-2029 Capital Plan (2024)

• The New York Times: Congestion Pricing Reduced Traffic. Now It’s Hitting Revenue Goals. (2025)

• Gothamist: Driving blind: NYC subways steered by 1930s tech, paper maps and a lot of hope (2025)

• The New Yorker: Interactive: New York’s Shadow Transit System (2014)

• Streetsblog NYC: Latest Data Show (Again!) That London’s Congestion Pricing is Working (2023)

• CBS News: Does congestion pricing work in London? It depends on who you talk to. (2024)

• Community Service Society: Congestion Pricing CSS Analysis (2017)

• Community Service Society: What Does Congestion Pricing Mean for Outer-Borough New Yorkers in Poverty? (2022)

Episode Credits

Creator/Host: Rollie Williams

Writers: Rollie Williams & Matt Nelsen

Director: Matt Nelsen

Editors: Rollie Williams & Laura Conte

Executive Producers: Rollie Williams, Matt Nelsen, Ben Boult, & Daniella Philipson

Cinematography: Ben Boult

Producers: Miranda Manganaro & Daniella Philipson

Assistant Editors: Ryan Martin Brown & Paul Ramsdell

Colorist: Nicholas Lareau

Audio Consultant: Nick Long

Intro Animator: Ian MK Cessna (https://ianhasawebsite.com/) 

Theme music by: Gratis (https://www.youtube.com/@gratis3241)

Special thanks: Andrew Dessler, Zeke Hausfather, & Amy Westervelt

Special thanks to the Civil Liberties Defense Center (https://cldc.org/) for their continued support.