Journey Through Time: Paving the Way to a Brighter Future

The MTA Board voted 9 to 1 to accept congestion pricing recommendations for the East River bridges. The tolls for the bridges, which opened between 1883 and 1909, ended in 1911 when Mayor William Gaynor waived them. Gaynor, who survived an assassination attempt in 1910, also died in office while on a ship to Europe in 1913.

In the 1950s, Columbia University economics Professor Bill Vickrey proposed the idea of congestion pricing to reduce traffic, pollution, and generate transit revenues. Many politicians and advocates have supported congestion pricing over the years, and it was made law in 2019 thanks to Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders.

The remaining opponent of congestion pricing is New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. However, the article hopes that he will eventually come around to supporting it.