After trying to kill congestion pricing in New York City, and after the political blow-back forced her to approve a watered-down version of the program, Kathy Hochul is now taking for its undeniable success. (earlier posts here)
This is not a surprise:
Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA on Saturday touted congestion pricing as a “huge success,” saying 67,000 fewer vehicles are entering Lower Manhattan each day, while mass transit ridership is up across the board.
The program is also on track to reap the forecasted $500 million in revenue in 2025, allowing the MTA to move forward with $15 billion in improvements to subways, buses, and the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad systems, officials said.
………
“Six months in, it’s clear: congestion pricing has been a huge success, making life in New York better,” Hochul said in a statement.
The dip in vehicle volume – 10 million all told – has led to substantial drops in traffic delays, the governor’s office said. At the Holland Tunnel, rush hour delays are down 65%. And drivers coming into the city are getting back 7 minutes for every hour spent commuting, according to the governor’s data.
Traffic accidents are down as well. Last week, the city’s transportation department published data showing 87 people were killed by motorists during the first six months of 2025 – down significantly from the 128 deaths reported over the same period last year.
At the same time, public transportation ridership is up. Subway riders are up 7%; bus ridership is up 12%; LIRR ridership is up 8%; Metro-North ridership is up 6%, and Access-A-Ride ridership is up, 21%.
To quote (probably, it might be Tacitus) John F. Kennedy,"Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan."
I'm not surprised. Taking credit for successes that you opposed is Political Hack 101 .
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