In the first week of the new policy, Manhattan traffic dropped by 7.5 percent. Commute times are down dramatically on many major and notoriously clogged arteries, including, every single day, almost all day, the Lincoln Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel, the Williamsburg Bridge, and the Queensboro Bridge—meaning not just lowered congestion and pollution but time savings for those motorists who do need to drive. Subway, bus, and commuter rail ridership are already way up.
My auntie would say, "May he live a long life and mourn no one." ...because she was very religious and thinks God doesn't know a curse when he hears it.
Even where car owners are the minority – e.g. New York City and the global South – their influence often derails sustainable policies.
In the global South, most people are not car-dependent. Investing in sustainable, equitable transport systems, along with policies like congestion pricing protects against rising car ownership.
New York’s congestion pricing backlash shows how car-centric thinking can harm the majority.