Tri-State Transportation Campaign
2024 – $20,000 Congestion Pricing
2024 – $20,000 Congestion Pricing Video
Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC) has been at the forefront of implementing and defending the nation’s first congestion pricing program in New York City’s Central Business District. Since its founding in 1993, TSTC has established itself as a pioneering voice for transportation policy across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, with congestion pricing becoming one of its most significant campaign efforts.
When Governor Hochul unexpectedly paused the program’s June 2024 launch, TSTC mounted an immediate response, organizing a rally at the Governor’s NYC office within 12 hours, speaking to local and regional press, and sending staff to Albany to push back against alternative proposals that might have undermined the 2019 congestion pricing law.
In the months following the pause, Tri-State Transportation Campaign intensified its advocacy through multiple channels. TSTC held regular meetings with advocacy partners and MTA officials, engaged with key legislators, and disseminated district-level fact sheets to policymakers educating them about the effects of congestion pricing in their districts. TSTC contributed to an amicus brief as part of a lawsuit supporting the program and helped facilitate New Jersey advocates in providing their own amicus brief. The organization also independently produced a public education video to address misconceptions about congestion pricing that was circulated widely across social media platforms.
These sustained efforts paid off. In November, Governor Hochul announced the program’s restart. While the toll structure was adjusted from $15 to $9 (a 40% reduction across all vehicle classes), this modification would not impact the program’s ability to generate the legally required $1 billion in annual revenue through bonding. On January 5th, 2024, congestion pricing finally took effect. The impacts and benefits were felt almost immediately. During the first week of congestion pricing, there was a 7.51% drop in the number of vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street compared to a normal five-day workweek during October. This immediate shift resulted in faster commute times for bus riders and drivers while making streets safer.
Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s advocacy has helped ensure that critical environmental justice components of the program remain intact, including air quality monitoring in disadvantaged communities and the development of an asthma center in the South Bronx. TSTC has maintained focus on the program’s broader benefits, including reduced traffic congestion, decreased air pollution, and increased investment in collective mobility options.
While congestion pricing is still in effect and its benefits have been proven week after week, the program faces a new existential threat from the federal government. In February, the Trump administration moved to revoke federal approval for the program. While the legality of this decision remains in question and will be determined through court proceedings, Tri-State Transportation Campaign remains committed to the success of the program and will continue to combat misinformation and demonstrate support through earned and produced media coverage.
Throughout this process, TSTC has demonstrated its ability to adapt to sudden changes by rapidly responding to new challenges while simultaneously maintaining focus on the longer-term goals of better transit, cleaner air, and greater mobility throughout the region. As the MTA challenges the federal order in court, Tri-State Transportation Campaign will continue to uplift the voices of communities who will see the benefit of collective behavioral change to improve living, health, and environmental conditions through better mobility choices; will hold the MTA accountable for providing clear and timely updates on impacts to air quality as well as ridership and performance data; and will monitor mitigation investments and ensure projects are delivered on time and in accordance with the stipulations of the mitigation plan.
