New York has gone from being one of the most clogged cities to a car-free “sanctuary.” Your recipe: $15

These days we have seen images of New York that seem taken from postapocalyptic movies as ‘I am Legend‘ or ’28 days later’. The streets in some areas of the ‘Big Apple’ have emptied during rush hours, and The person responsible has been… a toll. In no city in the world is so much time wasted in the car like in New Yorkwhich costs not only time, but also money.

Specifically, the city estimates that the 700,000 vehicles that move through the southern part of Manhattan every day and get stuck represent a loss of 20 billion dollars in productivity. A nonsense, no matter how you look at it. The authorities know that this is a problem and have been trying to tackle it for some time. As? Through a toll.

The measure, which should have been applied last summercame into operation on January 5 and delimits an area of ​​Manhattan named ‘Congestion Relief Zone’. If you want to access with a vehicle, it will cost you up to $14.50, a price that depends on whether it is a car or a motorcycle. If it’s a truck, it shoots up to $30.

From Central Park to the southern peak of the island. The area is not small, precisely

This price also depends on the time, but the consequence has been devastating: practically empty streets (at least by the standards of the city that never sleeps) when before they would have been full. And, apart from ending traffic jams and noise pollution, studies suggest that residents will also gain in health.

Less cars, more health

It seems obvious that, if the use of private transport is discouraged in favor of buses or the subway, there will be less pollution in the streets due to a reduction in pollution. The effects of the toll have not taken long to be noticed, with media such as Financial Times noting that the speed of access to Manhattan from New Jersey has nearly doubled. And leaving Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge has also gone from being a journey at an average speed of 20 km/h one at 37 km/h.

There are points, such as the congested Holland Bridge, that have reduced traffic by 63%, while the use of public transport has increased by 14% in certain cases. In short: the City Council esteem Traffic in the limited area is 8% lower than at the same time last year, which means 219,000 fewer vehicles. As we say, also, less pollution. Or so it is expected.

An environmental study published in 2023 estimated the impact that tolls would have on air pollution. Carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, benzene and other chemical particles linked to respiratory problems, cognitive decline and heart disease would see their numbers reduced, as would greenhouse gases.

He studyas we read in Gristwas carried out on a regional level, covering 12 counties in New York and New Jersey, as well as a projection to 2045. In it, it was determined that Manhattan would experience a 4.36% reduction in kilometers traveled daily by vehicles in 2045, which would result in a 10.72% decrease in CO₂ for that year in the business district, where the toll has been applied.

Carbon monoxide levels would fall by 6.55% and nitrogen oxide levels would also fall by 5.89%. Without a doubt, these are good figures in the short and medium term that can not only contribute significantly to the health of the population, but also to the planet, but it should be noted that the study simply estimated the impact of measures such as tolls.

To see real results, it will be necessary to measure the levels of particles and pollutants from now on and draw a comparison with previous levels. Andy Darrell is the New York regional director at the Environmental Defense Fund and commented that “the most important thing is to get started,” but we will see if there is time for those effects to be noticed.

The reason is that the viability of the project is in doubtwith Manhattan residents filing a class action lawsuit against the plan, a Donald Trump who is not in favor of the work of these traffic-free preserves and politicians against the toll, both Democrats and Republicans.

Images | MTA, MTA YouTube

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