EPISODE 111: Why Congestion Pricing Matters with Diana Lind

Hello, Dear Enlistees:

If congestion pricing is the White Whale of New York City transportation policy then I might be Captain Ahab. Back in 2007, when I was starting up Streetsblog, I saw congestion pricing as the ultimate “weapon” in The War on Cars. What other transportation policy could simultaneously reduce the number of private motor vehicles on city streets while also raising the funding needed to improve transit, biking and walking? I also figured that congestion pricing’s implementation was imminent. After lots of hard-fought advocacy work, New York City Council had voted in favor of it in 2008. Yay, we won! Right?... And, yet, here we are in 2023 and congestion pricing still hasn’t happened.

But it seems like that is finally about to change. Back in June, after producing 4,000+ pages of environmental review and gathering public input from as far away as Central Pennsylvania, federal authorities finally gave New York the green light to start making drivers pay to drive in the most walkable, bike-friendly, transit-rich place in North America. If all goes as planned, then anyone who wants to cram a car or truck into Lower Manhattan south of 60th Street is going to have to pay somewhere between $9 and $23 per day starting next spring.

There are still lots of details to iron out and we should never underestimate New York’s ability to blow it when it comes to transportation policy. But Diana Lind of the Penn Institute for Urban Research thinks congestion pricing is a big deal that will fundamentally reshape the relationship between the car and the city, not just in New York but all across North America. “The next 20 years,” Lind writes, “will be the beginning of the end of the private car in cities.” That, of course, was music to our ears so we had to have Diana on the podcast.

We hope you enjoy this ad-free, Patreon-only version of our conversation!

— Aaron

Read Diana Lind’s essay, “Why New York's Congestion Pricing Plan Matters” and subscribe to her newsletter, First and Foremost.

How Might Congestion Pricing Actually Work in New York? (New York Times)

We’re Another Step Closer to Congestion Pricing (Alissa Walker in Curbed)

New York City Is About to Screw Up Congestion Pricing (Aaron Gordon in Vice)

N.J. Gov. Candidate Steve Fulop: Stop Fighting Congestion Pricing — Expand It Instead! (Streetsblog)

Patreon supporters who want to listen to this ad-free episode on Apple Podcasts or another podcast app should check out these instructions on how to find and use your private RSS audio link from Patreon. You can also use the Patreon app or listen in your browser.