Congestion Pricing Clears the Air
Seventy-two years is a long time to think something over before taking action. It’s more time than many people have on this planet, but that’s how long it took New York to implement congestion pricing. That’s right, they first started talking about it in 1952. Better late than never.
Briefly put, congestion pricing is charging drivers an extra toll to enter Lower Manhattan during peak traffic times. This forces some people to get on the bus or train, while others simply fork over the cash. The chief goals are to raise money for public transit while reducing traffic and smog (toxins and greenhouse gas). It seems to be working.
Reduced Downtown Traffic
In its first week, congestion pricing reduced downtown traffic by close to 8%, took 43,000 cars off the road each weekday, and reduced average inbound travel times in the Holland and Lincoln tunnels by 39% or better. It’s estimated that congestion pricing will eventually cut traffic in the downtown by 17% and smog by 20%.
New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority is on track to raise $500 million to $800 million a year from congestion pricing to spend on public transit upgrades. Some of the money will be spent on vegetation and air filters for communities that are overrun by toll-dodging traffic.
New Jersey’s Fort Lee is one of those towns that will be the unfortunate recipient of some of the extra congestion and smog caused by drivers doing an end-run around toll collection points. Ideally, those motorists would join other commuters who are now leaving their vehicles in New Jersey and boarding trains and buses to New York City.
Other metropolitan areas that implemented congestion pricing before New York have seen good results. Stockholm saw a nearly 50% decline in asthma attacks among children. In Central London, congestion declined by 30% and bus ridership increased by 33%.
In New Jersey, NJ Transit can certainly use the revenue from increased ridership. Public transit in New Jersey is beset with delays and cancellations.
Objections to Congestion Pricing
It has been argued that public transit is not going to be a satisfactory alternative for some of the commuters affected by congestion pricing. Others contended the tolls would hurt Lower Manhattan businesses and discourage people from travelling to New York City during the cold season.
NJ Gov. Phil Murphy has fought New York over this and wants to see if he can’t land a better deal for New Jersey commuters, businesses, and communities. He called upon President Trump to intervene, although Trump hardly needed Murphy’s urging, as he was already strongly opposed to congestion pricing.
The prospective success of federal intervention depends on which lawyers you talk to, Murphy explained in a recent news interview.
This has forced a showdown. Acting on Trump’s orders, the U.S. Department of Transportation had revoked approval for congestion pricing as of late February and the NY Metropolitan Transit Authority had filed a complaint in response. NY Gov. Kathy Hochul refused to switch off the congestion toll system in the interim.
PFAS Ban
Minnesota in January became the first state to ban per- and poly fluoroalkyl substances in cookware. Otherwise known as PFAS, these toxic materials create a nonstick surface but persist in the environment and are considered harmful to humans and animals at the lowest concentrations. Colorado, Maine, and Vermont have similar bans due to take effect next year.
End Plastic Waste Now!
On February 10, leading environmental groups urged the state Legislature to pass the Packaging Product Stewardship Act (S3398/ A5009), introduced by Senator Bob Smith and Assemblymember Alixon Collazos-Gill.
Speakers included Beyond Plastics founder and former EPA regional administrator Judith Enck, Environment New Jersey Director Doug O’Malley, Clean Ocean Action Executive Director Cindy Zipf, Beyond Plastics advisory board member Brian Thompson, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance Director of Policy Brooke Helmick, Clean Water Action New Jersey State Director Amy Goldsmith, Beyond Plastics NJ Youth lead and Sierra Club New Jersey Youth Committee Communications and Outreach Coordinator Shirin Sood.
Here are some key provisions of the proposed the Packaging Product Stewardship Act:
Companies selling products in New Jersey must cut plastic packaging by 50% over the next 10 years;
Prohibits some of the worst toxic chemicals known to science used in packaging, including PFAS, lead, mercury, vinyl chloride, and formaldehyde;
Provides new revenue to local governments to improve local recycling and waste reduction programs; and
Prohibits the plastics industry’s latest false solution, known as chemical recycling, from counting as real recycling.
“Recycling simply can’t keep up with the production of single-use plastic packaging. That is why we need to focus on measures to reduce plastic production at its source, limit the use of single-use plastic, and embrace reusable packaging solutions,” said Taylor McFarland, conservation program manager for the NJ Sierra Club.
The legislation asks manufacturers to pay and innovate to solve the enormous waste problems created by producing and selling their own products. This is a vital initiative because packaging forms a large category of waste material—28% in the United States, according to the Environmental