In Manhattan, the “almost miraculous” success of tolls against traffic jams
Shorter commutes, less noise, new revenue for public transportation: Manhattan's congestion charge, introduced in January, is so far performing beyond expectations. Manhattan, famous for its traffic jams, can breathe a little easier, reports The Economist.
Maura Ryan, a speech-language pathologist in New York City, dreaded the introduction of a congestion charge. Her practices, scattered between Queens and Manhattan, sometimes required her to cross the East River multiple times a day. She fumed at the thought of having to pay a $9 toll daily.
Since the toll system went live, however, she's changed her mind. A commute that used to take an hour or more now takes only fifteen minutes. “It's great,” she confesses. And she's not the only one celebrating. Polls show that congestion charging now has more supporters than detractors in New York City. Just a few months ago, it was met with fierce opposition.
The Manhattan toll plaza was inaugurated on January 5, two weeks before Donald Trump's inauguration. And since then, it has produced near-miraculous results. Traffic has been reduced by 10%, significantly shortening travel times, particularly at bridge and tunnel junctions. Complaints about traffic noise have dropped by 70%. Buses travel so much faster that drivers have to wait at some stops to avoid arriving too early.
The toll brings in nearly $50 million each month, intended to modernize the network.
The Economist (London)A major British press institution, The Economist, founded in 1843 by a Scottish hatter, is the bible for anyone interested in international news. Openly liberal, it generally advocates free trade, globalization, immigration, and cultural liberalism. It is printed in six countries, and 85% of its sales are outside the UK.
None of the articles are signed: a long-standing tradition that the weekly supports with the idea that “personality and collective voice matter more than the individual identity of journalists.”
On The Economist website, in addition to the newspaper's main articles, you'll find excellent thematic and geographical reports produced by The Economist Intelligence Unit, as well as multimedia content, blogs , and a calendar of conferences organized by the newspaper around the world. As a bonus: regular updates of the main stock market prices.
The magazine's coverage may vary between editions (UK, Europe, North America, Asia), but the content is the same; in the UK, however, a few additional pages cover national news. The Economist is 43.4% owned by the Italian Agnelli family, with the remaining stake being shared among prominent British families (Cadbury, Rothschild, Schroders, etc.) and members of the editorial staff.
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