Congestion Pricing Now Coalition files amicus curiae briefs urging the U.S. Court of Appeals to reject the Trump administration\u2019s bid to turn off the congestion relief program, which has already delivered disability-accessible stations, cleaner streets, and enhanced mobility region-wide.<\/p>\n
New York, N.Y. (October 1, 2026) \u2014 A diverse group of disability, environmental, and transit advocates \u2014 along with large business and civic organizations \u2014 joined the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in defending New York City\u2019s Congestion Relief Program against the Trump administration\u2019s legal bid to terminate it in Metropolitan Transportation Authority v. Duffy, urging a federal appellate court to preserve the program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In amicus briefs filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Wang Hecker LLP, Mobilization for Justice, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Regional Plan Association highlighted the real-world benefits congestion relief is already delivering across the New York region and beyond, urging the court to protect that progress as the Trump administration continues its effort to terminate the program. The Trump administration appealed a District Court decision in March blocking<\/a> U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy from ending the program.<\/p>\n \u201cNew Yorkers may not agree on everything, but almost everyone can agree that good accessible public transit and clean air are basic needs here,\u201d said Kate Boicourt, New York State Director for Environmental Defense Fund. \u200b\u201cThanks to the congestion relief program, we\u2019re getting these improvements \u2014 we can now travel faster, breathe cleaner air, and have more accessible transit. We must protect our right to choose a program that makes this region a healthier and more accessible place for New Yorkers and commuters.\u201d<\/p>\n Together, the coalition presented a body of evidence proving the concrete policy improvements the program has generated, including hundreds of millions in investments in disability-accessible subway stations, significant reductions in air pollution, and faster commutes for busriders and drivers.<\/p>\n Key data points highlighted in the amicus briefs:\u00a0<\/p>\n Manhattan delays dropped 25%<\/a>, saving drivers approximately 15\u00a0minutes per hour in traffic.Drivers are saving as much as 17\u00a0minutes<\/a> on their trips throughout the region. Buses move 3% faster<\/a>, and emergency response<\/a> times are improved.Greenhouse gas emissions dropped 6.1%<\/a> between January and September 2025 after congestion relief program implementation.$105 million<\/a> committed to communities across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey, for pollution mitigation measures including asthma services, school air filtration, roadside vegetation, and green-space improvements.Over $550 million<\/a> raised to build elevators and improve accessibility<\/a> at 23 Subway stations, with nine<\/a> projects already underway.Access-a-Ride users are experiencing faster trips, which helps to meet the increasing demand \u2014\u00a021% increase<\/a> following the implementation of the tolling program.Bus ridership has increased 8%<\/a> a year within the Congestion Relief Zone and subway trips have increased 9%<\/a> since the program went into effect, resulting in fewer vehicles on the road and reducing emissions and traffic congestion.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCongestion pricing has worked wonders for commuters across the region,\u201d said Kate Slevin, Executive Vice President, Regional Plan Association. \u200b\u201cBus speeds are up, and commuters from the five boroughs, New Jersey, Long Island, Westchester, and beyond are spending less time in traffic. After years of debate over whether this program would work, we now have robust data showing that it does.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery New Yorker \u2014 including those with disabilities \u2014 is entitled to the freedom to move around the city safely and independently,\u201d said Christopher Schuyler, Managing Attorney, Disability Justice Program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. \u200b\u201cCongestion pricing helps secure that freedom by funding desperately-needed accessibility improvements across our subway system. For New Yorkers with disabilities, these upgrades have opened doors that would have otherwise been closed: jobs, healthcare, recreation, and everything else our city has to offer. For far too long, New Yorkers with disabilities have been denied the chance to move around the city freely and affordably, and it\u2019s essential we preserve the progress this program is now delivering.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCongestion pricing is already providing critical benefits for New Yorkers with disabilities, both by funding accessibility improvements and by reducing traffic to enable the vehicles that actually need to be on the road \u2014 such as Access-a-Ride, buses, and emergency vehicles \u2014 to move efficiently,\u201d said Daniel Mullkoff, Partner at Wang Hecker LLP.<\/p>\n Accessible transportation is fundamental to the ability of New Yorkers with disabilities to get to work, obtain medical care, attend school, and participate fully in their communities. Congestion pricing is already providing funding for long-overdue accessibility improvements. That is why it is so critical that the decision blocking the Trump Administration\u2019s illegal attempt to roll back congestion pricing remain in effect,\u201d said Sebastian Riccardi, a staff attorney at Mobilization for Justice.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a lifelong New Yorker, I know the central role that public transit plays in the life of our city,\u201d said Brian Farkas, a partner at ArentFox Schiff LLP, which represents Regional Plan Association before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. \u200b\u201cThe data is clear: congestion relief is cutting commute times, cleaning our air, and funding long-overdue infrastructure improvements. ArentFox Schiff is proud to represent RPA in presenting these facts to the Second Circuit and urging the court to preserve a program that is delivering measurable results for the region.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe benefits of Congestion Pricing in Manhattan extend far beyond its borders and affect us in Jersey City as well,\u201d said Tyler Newcomb, President of Bike JC. \u200b\u201cFor decades, northern New Jersey has been treated as nothing more than a cut through for suburban car commuters, making our streets unsafe, our cities loud, and our air quality dangerously bad. Since implementation, Congestion Pricing has improved the lives of the tens of thousands of New Jersey Residents who rely on buses and public transportation to commute or travel for work or leisure into Manhattan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis first-in-the-nation policy is delivering big time for New Yorkers: less time in traffic, faster buses, cleaner air, safer streets, and billions of dollars for the MTA to modernize the system and deliver more frequent, reliable service,\u201d said Julie Tighe, President, New York League of Conservation Voters. \u200b\u201cWe can\u2019t drive our way out of the climate crisis, and by reducing the number of cars on the road, cutting traffic, and strengthening the transit system millions of New Yorkers rely on, congestion pricing is making New York a better place to live.<\/p>\n \u201cFunding for accessibility improvements and upgrades must remain a priority for the MTA. We believe that the continuation of Congestion Pricing is essential to this goal. The Elevator Action Group believes accessibility is not a dismissible issue, it is not a luxury or a convenience, it is a necessity and a civil right. We will continue to fight for a truly public transit system \u2014 accessible to ALL \u2014\u00a0because elevators are for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdvocates always knew that Congestion Pricing was a winning policy that would provide New Yorkers not just with essential public transit funding, but also a better way of life,\u201d said New York Building Congress President & CEO Carlo A. Scissura, Esq. You can see the results of it everywhere you look, not just on safer, greener roads, but in a new elevator installed at a subway station or a new modernized LIRR car. The naysayers need to know when to say when, and cease this unending, frivolous, and losing battle against true progress and a more equitable city for all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCongestion pricing is congestion relief, and it\u2019s leading the way to a better future for our region,\u201d said Lisa Daglian, Executive Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, PCAC. \u200b\u201cThe improvements we\u2019ve seen as a result of the program continue to grow, with fewer cars entering the zone, air quality mitigation projects underway, and \u2014 critically important \u2014 essential money for vital transit infrastructure like accessibility upgrades, signal and substation improvements, new train cars and buses, and more on the horizon. The numbers don\u2019t lie, and New Yorkers and visitors are experiencing the benefits of congestion relief every day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNew Yorkers can\u2019t go back to terrible traffic,\u201d said Ben Furnas, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. \u200b\u201cBy every possible metric, congestion relief has improved our city \u2014 cutting commute times, getting rid of gridlock, and funding public transit. We look forward to seeing the program\u2019s continued success in the years to come!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnytime you have environmental groups, civic organizations, disability advocates, and the business community all delivering the same message, that\u2019s something,\u201d said Eric A. Goldstein, NYC Environment Director at Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). \u200b\u201cNew York\u2019s congestion pricing measure is performing exactly as promised \u2014\u00a0less traffic, fewer crashes, less pollution, time saved for businesses, and money to improve the region\u2019s transit network \u2014\u00a0and the Trump Administration\u2019s attempt to upend this successful program has no legal merit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNew York\u2019s economy runs on its ability to move people and goods, and congestion relief is making that faster and more reliable,\u201d said Steven Fulop, President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City. \u200b\u201cEmployers across the five boroughs and the wider region are seeing the results: shorter commutes for their workers and dedicated funding for the transit system that keeps this city competitive. Ending the program now would mean more gridlock, dirtier air, and lost investment just as it\u2019s proving its worth. New York\u2019s business community stands with the MTA in urging the court to let this progress continue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNew York\u2019s transit is the cardiovascular system of our economy, connecting millions of people to jobs and supporting businesses across the five boroughs,\u201d said REBNY President James Whelan. \u200b\u201cCongestion pricing is reducing traffic while generating critical funding to improve and modernize that system. A stronger, more reliable transit system will help New York continue to grow and compete for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Read the amicus briefs here:<\/p>\n Disability Justice<\/a>Signatories:504 Democratic ClubCenter for Independence of the Disabled, New YorkElevator Action GroupHarlem Independent Living CenterMobilization for Justice, Inc.New York Lawyers for the Public InterestTri-State Transportation CampaignEnvironmental, Transit, Business and Civic<\/a>\u00a0Signatories:\u00a0Environmental Defense FundNatural Resources Defense CouncilNew York League of Conservation VotersPartnership for New York CityReal Estate Board of New YorkWE ACT for Environmental JusticeOpen PlansReinvent AlbanyMoveNYCIVITASNew York Public Interest Research Group FundTri-State Transportation CampaignNew York City Environmental Justice AllianceBike Jersey CityNew York Lawyers for the Public InterestRegional Plan Association<\/a><\/p>\n