hey MO: *what’s up with congestion pricing? I heard the program just passed its one-year mark but as a Sunset Park resident, I don’t see any benefit from it. Daily traffic going onto the Gowanus Expressway is nearly at a standstill, the street construction along 4th Avenue seems like it will never end, and the wait time for bus service is atrocious. How is its revenue being spent and are transit improvements in Sunset Park and neighborhoods outside Manhattan included in the spending?

hey you: thank you for your question. You’re correct: congestion pricing completed its first year on January 5. While the program does appear to be meeting (even exceeding) the MTA’s expectations, the agency has yet to clearly detail which specific locations are benefiting from the revenue it generates. We do know that roughly 80% of the approximately $550 million raised through congestion pricing is legally dedicated to the MTA’s 2020–2024 Capital Improvement Plan. Current projects funded through this plan include the Second Avenue Subway expansion; signal upgrades along the A/C and BDFM lines serving riders in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn; accessibility improvements at more than 23 subway stations; new railcars and express bus service in Staten Island; and critical track repairs and system upgrades. This means communities outside Manhattan’s congestion relief zone are benefiting, even if those benefits aren’t always felt at the neighborhood level yet. 

Moving forward here’s what Sunset Park residents can do to help ensure local transit concerns are addressed and funded: 

• Attend MTA Board meetings or submit public comments
• Submit transit improvement ideas or requests to the NYC Community Affairs Unit.
• Submit a request or attend Community Board meetings asking for local projects funded by congestion pricing
• Encourage your Council Member and Borough President to advocate for local transit improvements in your area.
• Follow and work with advocacy groups, like the Regional Planning Association, to track congestion pricing revenue and equity.

*askMO submissions are italicized and published as received. **A version of this post is featured in the The Sunset Post. 

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