A federal court was expected to issue a final ruling on New York City’s congestion pricing by the end of the year. Motorists in the Big Apple will have to wait a little bit longer.
For more than a year and a half, the battle against congestion pricing has been a rollercoaster ride. Paused, then restarted, followed by threats from the federal government. All of that with the backdrop of numerous federal and state lawsuits.
Since June 2024, when Gov. Kathy Hochul paused congestion pricing just before the start date, the fate of the new tolling program has been up in the air. Just after the presidential election, Hochul announced a new start date of Jan. 5. That promise was kept.
By that time, several lawsuits challenging congestion pricing had been filed. Piling onto legal challenges, freshly sworn-in Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attempted to yank approval away from New York. That led to a public showdown between New York and the federal government, which eventually landed in the courtroom.
In May, a federal judge granted the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s motion for preliminary injunction. That order kept congestion pricing intact – and prevented the federal government from taking punitive action – until the court reached a final ruling expected by the end of the year.
With just days left in 2025, Judge. Lewis J. Liman issued an order setting oral arguments for Jan. 28. Effectively, New York motorists will wait at least another month before knowing whether congestion pricing stays or goes.
All indications point to a victory for New York. In addition to the state sealing a preliminary injunction, the federal government itself accidentally admitted on the public docket that it has no case.
Court decision may not be the end
President Donald Trump is not giving up on a presidential campaign promise to end congestion pricing.
In November, Trump called Manhattan a “ghost town,” claiming people are not going into the city because of the new toll. He directed Duffy “to take a good, long look at terminating New York City Congestion Pricing.”
Duffy responded by claiming New York’s “illegal congestion pricing is a tax on working people, and it’s CRUSHING NYC.”
“Our push to end this scam has been stuck in a district court for MONTHS,” Duffy said. “While New York keeps fighting our rightful legal authorities, Hochul continues to price more and more people out of the city.”
As of Dec. 31, neither Trump nor Duffy has indicated what they plan to do about congestion pricing. So far, nothing they have tried to do has worked.
Although congestion pricing may be unpopular with many motorists, it appears to be working as intended. According to the MTA, about 87,000 fewer cars each day are entering the traffic congestion zone, a 12% reduction from when the program started. A new Cornell University study shows a 22% drop in air pollution within the congestion pricing zone.
MTA’s numbers also refute Trump’s claims. According to its website, pedestrian traffic has increased 4%. According to data acquired by Bloomberg, foot traffic growth in the congestion pricing zone outpaced that in Manhattan. Storefront vacancies also dropped at a faster rate. LL
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