Friday Video

Friday Video: The Only Congestion Pricing Explainer You Need (Except Ours)

We've covered congestion pricing better than anyone, but we were pleased to see our Climate Town friend Rollie Williams jump on board. It's must-see TV.

By Gersh Kuntzman

12:02 AM EDT on April 11, 2025

Friday Video: The Only Congestion Pricing Explainer You Need (Except Ours)

Rollie Williams — American treasure.

In case you haven’t been paying attention, congestion pricing is both working and under fire from the Trump administration.

We’ve been covering it better than anyone, but we were pleased to see our Climate Town friend Rollie Williams jump on board with some coverage of his own. And his summary at the very top of the video is just pitch perfect:

“Congestion pricing. Basically, if you want to drive your car into one of the most congested cities on the planet, now you pay a toll. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s working really well. But then President Trump stepped in and issued an executive tweet to stop the policy. … And now we’re going to court to see if a states’ rights, small-government president can big government a state’s right away.”

It’s must-see TV — and a perfect summary for U.S. DOT Sec. Sean Duffy, whose public comments suggest he doesn’t understand why there’s congestion or what to do about it:

Gersh Kuntzman

Tabloid legend Gersh Kuntzman has been with New York newspapers since 1989, including stints at the New York Daily News, the Post, the Brooklyn Paper and even a cup of coffee with the Times. He's also the writer and producer of "Murder at the Food Coop," which was a hit at the NYC Fringe Festival in 2016, and “SUV: The Musical” in 2007. He also writes the Cycle of Rage column, which is archived here.