New York City could become the first American city to implement a congestion charge, if the proposal can survive over a dozen public meetings followed by a federal environmental review.
Congestion charges are not new. Or at least the concept isnโt. The idea is simple: Because the supply of road space allowing for freely moving traffic is finite, when we donโt charge for use of it and so don’t control demand, shortages happen, e.g., any situation resulting in traffic jams, gridlock, and idling vehicles. Congestion charges have been proposed for Manhattan for years, notably by William F. Buckley Jr. when he ran for mayor in 1965, but the concept really took off after London implemented one in the early 2000s under Labour mayor Ken Livingstone.
Londonโs congestion charge had two...