Congestion Pricing Can Improve Air Quality And Human Health In Cities

NYC’s new sheep pricing scheme has been jeopardized. But what has the impact of this approach on traffic management in other cities?

On January 5, 2025, New York became the first city in the United States Introducing a crowd priced zoneIn an attempt to reduce traffic in central areas, and raise funds for the city’s public transit system. In this scheme drivers need to pay a fee for their vehicle to access Manhattan (below 60^Third Street), for large vehicles and to travel at peak hours, and for small cars, the fee for traveling during low and fast times is high.

In the first week of the scheme, traffic With 273,000 lower cars, 7.5 % decreased Entering the main business district of Manhattan, and more than one -third of the travel hours on the crossing of these bound rivers, caused Fast bus travel. By the end of January, tool from the crowd pricing program In revenue .6 was born 48.66 millionKeeping it on track to meet the first year’s target of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s $ 500 million. So far, so successful.

And then, on February 19, American Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Announced That the Federal Highway Administration has called the New York City Crow Price Price Prices “approval”, calling it “backwards and unfair.” Next day, the official White House account Tweed An image of President Donald Trump, in which he described himself as a king.

In response, New York Governor Kathy Hochul Said “I am here to say that New York has not taken any king under any king in 250 years. And we believe that hell will no longer start. The MTA filed a lawsuit challenging the decision in Manhattan Federal Court, and their Since this effort has been joined Environmental group and supporters of transit.

Time of writing – ten days ago The expiry date On March 21, by the Trump administration – no decision has been made on legal action yet. The fate of the NYC scheme hangs in balance.

But is the pursuit of pricing programs really valuable? Let’s look at some of their effects in other cities around the world.

What’s happening somewhere else?

Citizens’ sheep pricing has been set for 50 years. Singapore was the first place to adopt it in the world, but schemes were developed in cities including Milan, Stockholm and London. Each of these cities uses its slightly different zoning schemes and pricing mechanisms, but eventually, all of them are trying to reduce the number of cars and other vehicles in all specific areas.

Economists Discuss Regarding the details of road or zone-based tools, such as how much compensation is taken, and how to reduce the cost of running a pricing scheme- but mostly agree that such schemes are. A pure positive Impact on society. When the first introduction is introduced, the pricing of the crowd is often unpopular, but over time it is more accepted. It is seen as (sometimes rightly) as profitable but IncompetentInfluenced the low -income people. Ultimately, the key to creating sheep pricing zones is through the supply of alternative methods of transport out of both private and popular private vehicles-repeated times, low cost, accessible mass transit networks, and safe cycles and sidewalks. On this front, some cities are more successful than others.

London pricing zones are the most wide and well -known. The city has two overlaping schemes that manage the type and quantity of vehicles that can run on its streets. Ultra-LOOL-Extra Zone (Ulezs) Those are places in which vehicles that exceed the standard of specific pathways are either fully banned, or they need to pay the tool. By 2019, Yulies covers all London sacks. Measure an area 1,500 km²Which is a home of nine million people. There is also a small crowded charge zone (Cc z) In the central areas, like NYC, all vehicles are paid to enter certain times.

Does sheep prices decrease traffic?

Short answer – yes, usually.

After discussing for nearly two decades, the Stockholm crowd tax was introduced in 2007. The thing that really made it possible was a seven -month trial period (January to July 2006), which included the introduction of the tools, in addition to the extension of some public transit. Before the trialPublic support for this system was low, only 36 %. But a significant reduction in the volume of traffic measuring during the trial changed it. 53 % of voters eventually supported the decision to keep the system permanent. Since then, the crowd has been low, which is delayed on the roads much more than the prediction. In addition, it has an impact on the type of vehicle that operates a vehicle-in a three-year period, the share of cleaner, alternate fuel vehicles on the road has increased from 3 % to 14 %.

Singapore has continued to flow its traffic relatively freely freely, even when the number of cars in the state has increased in the city. To speak to NytEconomics Professor Walter Thira explained that pricing was just a lever used to keep the car fleet manageable. Is the second Vehicle quota system Which limits the car purchase only to the people of Singapore who have a specific certificate.

The situation in the British capital is more important. According to Transport for London (TFL), the number of driving vehicles in the city center fell 18 % during the day of the week As a result of sheep prices. But earlier this year, Transport Analytics Company inrix Announced as London Europe’s most dense citySaying that the number of drivers is increasing in traffic. When asked why this could be done, Alina Terk, head of the transport strategy and planning strategy to the TFL, said. CBS News This is partly because some car lane is “re -developed for other uses”, such as walkways, bus lane and motorcycle lane. This has reduced the capacity of drivers, but it has increased the capacity of other transport consumers, “Central London and the city have been made another pleasant, people -based place. But you also grow through the people you are passing through.”

Does sheep prices increase mass transit rise?

Perhaps, however, it is likely that the quality and frequency of the services offered on them, along with the existence of large -scale public transit networks, and the population of the travelers.

I StockholmThe number of passengers on public transit was 4.5 % higher after the introduction of the crowd tax, but only 0.1 % of the traffic reduction of vehicles “… can be added to the extended bus traffic.”

A 2023 studies Milan saw the effects of a sudden, temporary pause in the sheep pricing scheme. It showed that motorcycle sharing decreased by 5 % and 8 % during this time, causing the authors “attributed to road traffic congestion, which makes cycling less safe and pleasant.”

A Surveys of Beijing Drivers In 2019, it was concluded that sheep pricing strategies “… more habitual automobile passengers are far more effective than a reward strategy in promoting mood shifts.”

There are people living in London Relatively well service Through public transport, which explains why, in 2022, 67 % The people of London traveled through active or public transit. But I did not manage to find any research that would clearly connect the city’s CCZ and LEZ to the use of widespread transit.

What is the effect of the crowd zone on air quality?

Overall, the effect of air quality is more positive.

A few days ago, London’s City Hall (mayor of the city, Sadiq Khan’s office) released A new report It showed a significant improvement in air quality as a result of Ulez. Particular emission (PM2.5) Vehicles are estimated to decrease by 31 % in the outskirts of the city, more than that they would have been without a Ulez extension. Nitrogen dioxide (no₂) – A gas – a gas -known gas to spoil the lung function has decreased by 27 %, Central London has seen the biggest decline. Statistics also show that vehicles are being cleaned in the city in 2024 an average day of 2023, an average day of 100,000 less non-compliant vehicles in London.

Its crowded charging zones, before introducing Milan Was repeatedly violated Goals for the European Commission, especially the Partical Problem (PM10 and PM2.5). Various Studies Since adopting the Pricing Scheme, the overall decline in particle emissions has also been shown as well as pollution such as carbon monoxide.

In Stockholm, Total Extract Nox And the PM10 fell Up to 8.5 % and 13 %Respectively, as a result of their crowded tax.

Do we see any health benefits to reduce traffic?

Yes, of course.

It has been well established that the crowd of traffic – especially when it includes fossil fuel -driven vehicles – is bad for us. In fact, in 2014, A study of the World Bank It has been concluded that air pollution and injuries to road -driven motor vehicles cause 1.5 million deaths globally every year. Which represents 2.9 % deaths for all reasons.

There have also been many studies that aims to investigate the health effects of sheep pricing schemes. The most comprehensive Review Were published in these studies Lancet Public Health In 2023. It screened more than 2000 articles to find people who were reliable data related to the health effects of low emission zones (LEZs) and crowded charging zones (CCZs). From this, he focused on 16 studies from Italy, the UK, Germany, Sweden and Japan.

The results vary in specific results of each health, which they were interested in, but concluded that the lease of the disease has a positive effect on the cardiovascular disease. In other words, low emissions cause better heart and circulation health in the population living in these areas. In some instances, they also found that the lease of respiratory conditions led to a decrease in the number of people, and in Germany, the benefits of lease of the lease were mostly felt by more than 65 years. The CCZ was associated with a decrease in road traffic incidence, which had a total of fewer incidents of injuries. Analysis of childhood asthma in Stockholm shows that the introduction of CCZ has reduced severe asthma visits to hospitals.

And a Separated from 2025 He looked at London Lees and CCZs, which showed that he was “had a significant impact on long -term public health.”

Overall, I argue that sheep pricing is a positive thing to introduce to a well -offered dense city through public transit services. So, I see what happens with interest in New York.