Traffic Good, Congestion Pricing Bad [Patreon Preview]
The Climate Denier's Playbook
Managing Urban Traffic: The Case for Congestion Pricing
This chapter explores the idea of 'car brain' and its influence on aggressive driving behaviors, particularly towards pedestrians and cyclists. It presents congestion pricing as an innovative urban planning solution to alleviate traffic congestion, detailing its implementation in New York City. The discussion emphasizes the need for a pricing system that reflects the true costs of road use while advocating for the reinvestment of generated revenues into public transportation to promote equitable access.
Sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic is my god-given right as an American.
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TELL GOV. HOCHUL TO FIGHT FOR CONGESTION PRICING (if you live in New York state): +1 (518) 474-8390 or https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form
SAMPLE SCRIPT: I’m a New York state resident and I am reaching out to urge Gov. Hochul to continue supporting New York City’s Congestion Pricing plan and fight against the federal government’s insane attempts to shut it down. This policy has already decreased traffic congestion, reduced travel times for people of all income brackets traveling into the city, increased business-friendly foot traffic in the city, and raised much needed revenues to improve our public transportation system. We cannot allow the federal government to bully our state into reversing a popular and effective policy, and I ask that you continue doing everything in your power to make sure the policy remains in effect. Thank you.
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DISCLAIMER: Some media clips have been edited for length and clarity.
CREDITS
- Created by: Rollie Williams, Nicole Conlan & Ben Boult
- Hosts: Rollie Williams & Nicole Conlan
- Executive Producer: Ben Boult
- Editors: Laura Conte & Ben Boult
- Producers: Daniella Philipson
- Fact Checking: Carly Rizzuto
- Music: Tony Domenick
- Art: Jordan Doll
- Special Thanks: The Civil Liberties Defense Center, Charles Komanoff, Jon Orcutt & Matt Nelsen
SOURCES
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- Bauman, A. (2024, June 25). Does congestion pricing work in London? It depends on who you talk to. CBS News.
- Bloomberg Television. (2024, June 5). New York Governor’s Kathy Hochul Halts Congestion Pricing in NYC [Short]. YouTube.
- Bonanos, C. (2025, April 15). How Well Is Congestion Pricing Doing? Very. Curbed.
- Bridges and Tunnels tolls by vehicle. (n.d.) Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
- Capital Plan 2025-2029: The Future Rides with Us. (2025). Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
- Carrns, A. (2023, September 22). The Rising Costs of Owning a Car. The New York Times.
- CBS6 Albany. (2025, February 19). Gov. Hochul on Protecting Congestion Pricing | Full Presser. YouTube.
- CBS News. (2024, November 14). New York City to start congestion pricing in January at $9, Gov. Kathy Hochul announces. YouTube.
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- Chi'en, A., & Flanagan, J. (2025, April 21). Feds issue new deadline for New York to shut down congestion pricing gantries. Fox 5 New York.
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- Hu, W., & Ley, A. (2024, November 14). What to Know About Congestion Pricing. The New York Times.
- Hu, W., & Ley, A. (2025, January 5). New York City Welcomes Congestion Pricing With Fanfare and Complaints. The New York Times.
- Hu, W., Ley, A., Castle, S., & Anderson, C. (2023, December 2). Congestion Pricing’s Impact on New York? These 3 Cities Offer a Glimpse. The New York Times.
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- Katersky, A., & Charalambous, P. (2025, April 24). DOJ accidentally files document outlining flaws with Trump administration's plan to kill NYC congestion pricing. ABC News.
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- Komanoff, C. (2017, December 14). London Traffic Would Be At Least 20 Percent Slower Without Congestion Pricing.
- Komanoff, C. (2024, June 11). Hochul Murder Mystery. The Washington Spectator.
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- Lew, I., Chatterjee, D., & Torres, E. (2022, March 14). What Does Congestion Pricing Mean for Outer-Borough New Yorkers in Poverty?. Community Service Society.
- Ley, A. (2024, August 8). 7 Years After ‘Summer of Hell,’ the Subway Is Approaching Another Crisis. The New York Times.
- Ley, A., Chen, S., Hu, W., & Oreskes, B. (2025, February 19). Trump Administration Moves to End New York’s Congestion Pricing Tolls. The New York Times.
- Manville, M. (2019). Longer View: The Fairness of Congestion Pricing. Transfers Magazine.
- Meyer, D. (2025, March 3). Four Reminders of Andrew Cuomo’s Disastrous Record on City Transportation. Streetsblog NYC.
- Metropolitan Transportation Authority et al v. Duffy et al. (2025, February 19).
- Miner, P., Smith, B. M., Jani, A., McNeill, G., & Gathorne-Hardy, A. (2024.). Car harm: A global review of automobility's harm to people and the environment. Journal of Transport Geography, 115, 103817.
- Moye, B. (2023, August 30). Annual New Car Ownership Costs Boil Over $12K.
- MTA Annual Disclosure Statement Update (2021 ADS First Quarterly Update). (2021, August 3). Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
- MTA Releases Revenue From Congestion Relief Zone Tolling Showing Program in Line With Projections. (2025, February 24). Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
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