You want to know what the real "shithole" is, Secretary Sean Duffy? It was Manhattan roads, circa last year.
As the chart below shows, thanks to congestion pricing, roadways in the congestion relief zone — the area of Manhattan where Duffy wants to roll back the supposedly "elitist" $9 toll — are safer by double-digit percentages, year over year:
But to Duffy, the toll is "elitist" — as if it's "elitist" to make roadways safer for the most vulnerable. Perhaps Duffy should speak to the 50 motorists, 22 pedestrians and 29 cyclists who might have been injured had Gov. Hochul not finally flipped the switch on the toll on Jan. 5.
We've already documented how congestion pricing is boosting the local economy, reducing productivity-destroying traffic, speeding commutes, and clearing the air. But it's nice to see it's working as planned on the ground.
In other news:
- In a related story, some outlets (looking at you, NY Post, NY Times and CBS2) overhyped the latest MTA-U.S. DOT court documents as some sort of legal deal to save congestion pricing. As we reported, it ain't that (Gothamist also did not overplay the story). But the tolls will, obviously remain in place as this court battle plays out — which is kind of normal.
- President Trump's tariffs are going to raise costs for the MTA. (Gothamist)
- The Queens bus network redesign is coming. (NYDN, amNY)
- We wrote about it previously, but building owners can now apply with the Department of Transportation to install battery chargers on the sidewalk. (NYDN, amNY)
- The new flood map is here and it's bad. (NY Times)
- Finally, a public service announcement. Join our friends at Open Plans on Wednesday in Midtown for a thought-provoking book chat featuring Evan Shieh, author of "Autonomous Urbanism: Towards a New Transitopia." This isn't some cheerleading session for self-driving cars, but a deep dive into how the car industry is, once again, coming for your public space. The fun starts at 6 p.m. at Cookfox Studio at 250 W. 58th St. For info, click here.
