Just in time for Climate Week, Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC) has launched a new video that confronts and debunks the most common myths about New York City’s congestion pricing program, indefinitely paused by Governor Hochul three months before its legally promised implementation date. The video, which highlights the environmental, economic, and public health benefits of congestion pricing, encourages New Yorkers to get informed, and push for the program’s swift implementation by contacting Governor Hochul. 

Congestion pricing, aimed at reducing traffic and funding critical public transit improvements, is essential for cutting emissions and tackling climate change. Yet, delays and misinformation have clouded public understanding of the program. TSTC’s video, featuring “Every day New Yorkers,” breaks down the myths, making the case for why congestion pricing is not just an economic and mobility solution but a crucial climate action. In the video, the TSTC team takes a powerful appeal for action: “We deserve a city where streets are safer, air is cleaner, and public transit works for everyone.”

As Climate Week approaches, the stakes are clear: New York must embrace the bold policy that is congestion pricing to combat the climate crisis. Despite the misinformation surrounding it, congestion pricing is a legally mandated program that is essential for improving New Yorkers’ quality of life and health now and forever by reducing traffic, lowering emissions, and providing cleaner air for all New Yorkers.

Myth-Busting Highlights:

• Myth #1: Congestion Pricing Won’t Work
  With phase 1 already raising $300 million for subway improvements since 2018, the video makes it clear that the program is already driving change — and its expansion will deliver even more.
• Myth #2: It Hurts Businesses
  The video reassures viewers that overnight delivery discounts and reduced rates for smaller vehicles ease the burden on businesses, ensuring Manhattan continues to thrive while addressing congestion.
• Myth #3: It’s a Tax on Working-Class New Yorkers
  Congestion pricing targets wealthier commuters who drive into the Central Business District, while most lower-income workers already rely on public transit. It’s an opportunity to make the system fairer for everyone.
• Myth #4: It’s Just a Cash Grab by the MTA
  The law requires that congestion pricing funds go directly to improving New York’s public transit, with $15 billion earmarked for vital upgrades.
• Myth #5: Only Manhattan Benefits
  The truth is congestion pricing will benefit the entire region — Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Long Island — by improving transit access and cutting emissions citywide.
  
  
  

–> To link to the video, visit: [https://youtu.be/_bHJPbZvAR0] <–


Be sure to check out this op-ed from Renae Reynolds, Executive Director of TSTC and Arturo Garcia-Costas, The New York Community Trust, where they also debunk the common myths about congestion pricing: [https://www.amny.com/news/busting-6-congestion-pricing-myths/].