The rise and fall of NYC’s congestion pricing project, and what it means for LA

It’s an appealing idea for city officials: Convince drivers to ditch their cars in favor of taking public transit, all while reducing emissions and and gridlock.

That’s how New York Gov. Kathy Hochul praised Manhattan's “congestion pricing” program before she suddenly paused it last month. It was meant to generate funding needed to revive the state’s aging transit system and ease gridlock by charging people $15 to enter the core of the city.

Yes, New York is on the other side of the country, but urban policy experts say the move could have implications here in Southern California.

Could we see something similar?

L.A. Metro is considering a pilot project for congestion pricing, which could take years to launch.

But what happens next in New York could make or break that pilot program and the agency’s ambitions to raise at least $12 billion from it, according to Michael Manville, who teaches urban planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. He said on LAist’s 89.3’s AirTalk that it always helps if another city like New York has gone first to try and roll something like this out.

“I don't think there's any question that if New York had introduced this, and it had went well, and people came around to liking it, that would have given a boost to L.A.'s program,” Manville said.

What do we know about it?

L.A. is taking it slow, Manville said. Metro has been taking cues from New York before locking down its own congestion pricing model, opting instead to research it under the Traffic Reduction Study (TRS). It’s anticipated to launch in 2028 and will look at central Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, and westside cities, according to Metro.

Early designs would see drivers charged for using freeways near the Santa Monica Mountains, surface streets in downtown Los Angeles, and at various points along the 10 Freeway, as outlined in the study.

And if the stalled program in the Big Apple eventually launches and becomes a success, Manville said officials here could see it as a path toward creating a similar congestion pricing model.

What’s next?

If the project was so unpopular and even hated in New York, why try?

Manville said there are cities where congestion pricing has found success — like London and Singapore.

“It's a funny thing about congestion pricing,” he said. “In places where it has been implemented, people like it. They tend to not like it before it's implemented.”

Keep in mind, congestion pricing is not officially dead in New York — it's just been indefinitely paused. The New York City comptroller is already leading efforts to get the project back on track.