With congestion pricing now in effect, the MTA has said it would use the revenue gained from the Manhattan toll program to fund numerous public transit improvements citywide.
On Sunday, the MTA outlined numerous projects either already started, or in the planning stages, that will be funded through congestion pricing. These projects include extending the Second Avenue Subway, upgrading much of the century-old signal system with Communications-Based Train Control, buying new subway cars to upgrade the fleet, and improving subway stations to make more of them ADA-accessible.
Specifically, the MTA said that 80% of congestion pricing revenue — equal to $7.20 of every $9 toll collected during peak hours in Manhattan — will go to capital improvements on NYC subways and buses. The remaining 20% of revenue will be split between Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road, according to the agency.
The MTA believes congestion pricing will provide a guaranteed revenue stream that will provide dramatic improvements to public transit. Yet, what if revenue projections do not meet all expectations?
There’s also a question of whether congestion pricing might be stopped at some point through one of a number of lawsuits challenging the toll system in New York. President-elect Donald Trump, who has publicly expressed his opposition to the plan, may also opt to intervene on a federal level and halt the program after he becomes president on Jan. 20.
So the question remains: Will congestion pricing lead to actual improvements in the NYC transit system? Or is it doomed to eventually fail?
Take our poll and tell us what you think! We’ll report back next week with the results.
