--- title: "Manhattan Shows Huge Reduction in Car Crashes After Instituting Congestion Pricing" description: "New Yorkers are seeing huge quality of life wins from congestion pricing so far, a great sign for people-first transit policy." date: "2025-01-25" modified: "2025-01-25" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/manhattan-reduction-crashes-congestion-pricing" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "new york city" - "policy" - "the digest" - "transit" --- # Manhattan Shows Huge Reduction in Car Crashes After Instituting Congestion Pricing ![New Yorkers are seeing huge quality of life wins from congestion pricing so far, a great sign for people-first transit policy.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Wheels Up The wins keep coming after Manhattan initiated its [congestion toll]() on cars early this month. Now, the latest data is showing a massive decrease in crash related injuries. New data from the first 12 days of congestion pricing shows that total injuries below 60th street — the zone where congestion pricing takes effect, charging drivers up to $9 to enter — dropped 51 percent compared to the same period in 2024. Total crashes, meanwhile, dropped 55 percent. The analysis comes courtesy of [outspoken transit advocate]() Gersh Kuntzman and his team at *Streetsblog NYC*. He cautions that it's too early to take a victory lap, given that the figures do not account for variations in weather between 2024 and 2025, but they are promising. This is the latest indicator that the congestion pricing is working as intended — kids are [getting to school faster](), the city is [quieter](), bridges and tunnels are seeing [significantly less traffic](), and the air is becoming a [bit cleaner](). And these are just the knock-on effects of traffic reduction. The real winners are New York City's [public transit riders](), whom the congestion toll is meant to directly benefit via station improvements, critical infrastructure repairs, extended bus routes, and a resumption of the much-needed [2nd avenue subway extension project](), which had been [stalled for years](). In other words, if the good news keeps coming, the initiative could become a compelling proof-of-concept for other areas of New York and more crowded cities around the country. ## Cutting Edge That's in a perfect world, of course. While adding friction for cars is looking like a major win for New York so far, it comes at a time when common-sense transit projects across the country are flailing. Some are [way overbudget](), outsourced to [pie-in-the-sky tech startups](), or falling to a [busted legislative process](). And that's even if a city [ponies up the will]() to make affordable, car-free transit a priority at all. Going forward, there's very little evidence that investments in crucial infrastructure will be coming from the federal government — Trump has already cut Biden's [Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act]() in favor of his [Stargate gamble]() — making state and local policy like the Big Apple's congestion pricing all the more crucial. While other cities spend taxpayer money to [beautify parking lots](), New City is leading by example and showing the rest of the country what people-first transit policy can do for their communities. In a country dominated by cars, this rare win for public transit is worth [imitating](). **More on transit:** [*Leftists Plead With Trump Not to Build High Speed Rail System Connecting America's Major Cities*]() ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()