![\"Gov.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC_1754.jpg\" "\\"Congestion")
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Gov. Kathy Hochul, along with MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, celebrate the one-year anniversary of congestion pricing in Manhattan. Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.<\/p>\n
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n
On the one-year anniversary of congestion pricing<\/a> on Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared that the program has yielded \u201cextraordinary\u201d results in reduced traffic and increased economic activity, \u201cbeyond what we could have expected.\u201d<\/p>\n The governor, during a Monday afternoon news conference in Manhattan, stood alongside MTA<\/a> Chair and CEO Janno Lieber and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. She lauded congestion pricing as a success in reducing car traffic, cutting air pollution, promoting the local economy, and generating vital funding for public transit.<\/p>\n \u201cWe changed how people in this great city and the region live, how they breathe, how they act, and now the results are in,\u201d Hochul said of the program\u2019s impact.\n<\/p>\n Hochul also noted that the once-fervent opposition to congestion pricing, when it was first launched one year ago, has seemingly \u201ccalmed down.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cPeople like getting across the bridges faster, they like coming to the city with more time on their hands, they\u2019re happy not to sit in traffic,\u201d Hochul said. \u201cSo to those individuals who are driving in, their quality of life has improved as well, and I\u2019m really proud of that, and I hope they understand what this program did for them.\u201d<\/p>\n The governor touted the state\u2019s and MTA\u2019s success in winning most of the nearly a dozen lawsuits that opponents brought in hopes of halting congestion pricing over the past few years.=<\/p>\n \u201cFor those of you who are keeping score, I\u2019ve got more than 10 lawsuits. We have a pretty good record. Every time it\u2019s gone before a judge, the judge says, \u2018no, no, the state is right,’\u201d Hochul said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hochul said she believes the state will have the same result with its lawsuit seeking to block<\/a> President Trump\u2019s administration\u2019s efforts to end the program. The Manhattan federal judge in the case, Lewis Liman, will hear oral arguments later this month<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mamdani, who won the mayoralty on ambitious proposals like making city buses free, said congestion pricing is proof of the \u201cchange that can come when government dares to do big things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a program that has been successful, no matter how you measure it,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n Congestion pricing charges drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street a $9 base toll during peak hours. The tolls vary based on vehicle size and the time of day drivers enter the zone, known as the Central Business District (CBD).<\/p>\n The governor ticked off the program\u2019s positive impacts on congestion and safety: reducing the number of vehicles enterring the CBD by 11% \u2014 equating to 27 million fewer vehicles<\/a>; allowing those enterring and exiting the zone during rush hour to move an average 23% faster over crossings; boosting bus speeds in the CBD by 2.3%; and reducing crashes in the area by 7%.<\/p>\n She also pointed to a 22% drop in air pollution within the CBD; a 6.3% rise in economic activity in the zone; and Broadway having its best season in history \u2014 bringing in $1.9 billion in ticket sales.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the state\u2019s and MTA\u2019s projections indicate the program will raise $550 in net revenues for its first year. They will then begin bonding those dollars out to bring in $15 billion to fund major capital improvements to the system over the next several years.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to bring us more benefits, more than just less congested streets,\u201d Lieber said of congestion pricing. \u201cIt\u2019s the new train cars that you\u2019re making possible. The new signals. The more ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) elevators.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Van](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/brooklyn-bridge-cp-gantries-dean-moses-2026-2.jpg\" "\\"Congestion")
A van passes under a congestion pricing gantry in Manhattan on Jan. 5, 2026.Photo by Dean Moses<\/p>\n