By Steven Symes 
The Trump administration is pressuring New York to drop its controversial congestion pricing, a trend that threatens to spread across the country. Already a practice in certain European cities, the scheme involves drivers paying a fee to drive into different parts of Manhattan at specific times.
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Easter was the deadline New York had to stop collecting congestion fees, which it says it’s still doing. The threat for noncompliance from Sean Duffy, United States Transportation Secretary, was the removal of federal funding for highways.
In addition, Secretary Dufffy says the Department of Transportation will suspend all approvals for environmental reviews and advanced construction as part of the National Environmental Policy Act, save only safety-related projects, reports CBT News.
Like many others, the Trump administration has characterized congestion pricing as illegal and a simple money grab by the state.
Ostensibly, congestion pricing is about discouraging people who don’t have to drive from taking their vehicle into highly congested areas. However, some have pointed out the fee impacts lower-income individuals who depend on their vehicle for their livelihood the most.
However, New York is ready to fight the battle in the courts, believing it will prevail. “In case there were any doubts, MTA, State and City reaffirmed in a court filing that congestion pricing is here to stay and that the arguments Secretary Duffy made trying to stop it have zero merit,” John J. McCarthy, the MTA’s chief of policy and external relations, per AP News.
Congestion pricing could soon by joined by other restrictive policies. In some parts of Europe, you can’t drive an older vehicle in cities on certain days or at all without incurring a sizable daily fine.
There are also zones where only electric cars can be driven. With modern plate readers, all of these fines are assessed automatically. We’ll see if the Trump administration is successful in stopping this trend in the US or if we will go the way of Europe.
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