Charles Komanoff
Charles Komanoff is a national expert on congestion pricing and traffic modeling, and is the former head of Transportation Alternatives. He is a longtime Streetsblog contributor. Reach him at komanoff@gmail.com.
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Komanoff: For Congestion Pricing, I’ll Eat Crow
Our congestion pricing columnist backed an opponent to his Assembly member in 2022 — but now he's making a heartfelt plea for her to do the right thing.
KOMANOFF: Hochul Must Remember the Facts of Congestion Pricing’s Benefits
Gov. Hochul should stay the course and usher in the bright and brand-new day that congestion pricing promises.
Komanoff: William (Vickrey), It Was Really Nothing
Former City Council Member Kathryn Freed once said "traffic is killing us in Lower Manhattan." Now, she sues to stop Nobel-Prize-winning economist William Vickrey's congestion pricing idea.
Komanoff: A ‘Noise Tax’ Can Ground NYC Helicopters
A proposed $400 “noise tax” on “nonessential” flights is a start — and it will work.
Komanoff: Here’s Why the MTA Board Should Proudly Approve Congestion Pricing
The board will likely be slammed by the stragglers who will never accept the hard truths about the cost of their driving, but congestion pricing will do even better than the MTA realizes.
KOMANOFF: Mayor Adams Touts a Clean-Air Win that Hasn’t Happened
Here's what the TLC ― and the mayor ― overlooked when they decided to let thousands more Ubers and Lyfts onto our teeming, weary streets.
Komanoff: What Was Left Unsaid to Congestion Pricing Opponents
Politicians can be diplomatic, but subject matter experts have a responsibility to say the quiet part out loud. Charles Komanoff learned that last Thursday at the latest congestion pricing gripefest.
Komanoff: Get the Facts About ‘Car Bloat’ and Pollution
To deal effectively with climate we need to be clear about what’s destroying it.
…Or Should We Soak ‘Super-Drivers’ Instead of Subsidizing Them?
Piling subsidies on subsidies, even if well-meaning, fails to rein in the full cost of driving.
Komanoff: MTA’s Three-Day Blitz on Toll Scofflaws is Not Nearly Enough
It’s awesome that a three-day sting nabbed 44 autos that had racked up $922,500 in unpaid bridge tolls and fines, but the agency needs to do more.