November 21, 2022 

Commissioner, Ydanis Rodriguez 

Scudder Hall 307, 1014 Hawk Drive 

New Paltz, NY 12561  

 

Dear Ydanis Rodriguez, 

 

Hello, My name is Emma Bergsohn and I’m attending the State University of New York at New Paltz. I’m writing to you about my increasing concerns for New York City’s traffic. Traffic has been a major pollutant on Earth for years. According to the New York City Environmental Protection,  Annually “motor vehicles contribute approximately 11% of the local fine particulate matter and 28% of the nitrogen oxide emissions.” These harmful vehicle emissions contribute to at least thousands of deaths and illnesses every year. By enforcing congestion fees, encouraging public transportation, and putting more money towards improving transportation infrastructure, we can limit the number of vehicles on the road, in turn improving air quality, pollution, and quality and equity of life in New York.  

The most commonly understood way that traffic and congestion causes issues is with air quality. One of the largest contributors to death and disability on Earth is PM 2.5. PM 2.5 is a small particulate matter that has the ability to penetrate, irritate, and impair lung function(Hinsdale). Even in small amounts, it can be harmful or deadly, causing damage to DNA, cancer, heart disease, strokes and more(Hinsdale). This particulate matter is being released in excessive amounts throughout the city whether it be from cars, gasoline engines, trucks, burning diesel fuel, buses, or trains and subways. “Those who live near highways are more susceptible to ultrafine particles” which are smaller than 2.5 PM and cause an even greater risk for respiratory and severe damage(Cuba).  

Not only does the substantial issue of pollution need to be addressed, but people’s quality of life is constantly being affected by large amounts of traffic. For instance, in New York City, horn loudness is not regulated, sirens blare in still traffic, and loud engine noises disrupt many(Hinsdale). These issues also contribute to a disruption in both physical and mental health. Some of these noises have the ability to damage peoples’ hearing, especially if a pedestrian is close to the vehicle. Also, driving in traffic congestion is a major stressor for many drivers, leading to chronic stress, frustration and even an increase in road rage, causing more accidents(Kumar). 

Mr. Rodriguez, I am aware of your great efforts to improve mass transit and sustainable transportation with increased bicycle lanes and buses, but these are not enough. It’s necessary for the safety of citizens to increase funds towards building better transportation infrastructure as well as increasing reliable, and more affordable public transportation, and ultimately getting more vehicles off the city roads. 

According to NYC Planning, 20% of people who work in New York City commute, and a large portion of those commuters drive 90 minutes or more from suburban areas like Long Island. Improving our train infrastructure/system would be beneficial, as it would encourage more people to take the train rather than driving to work. Overall, carbon dioxide emissions could be cut in half if drivers decided to take the train, and that doesn’t even take into account if people also alternatively took the bus (Tomkiewicz). 

This has been observed to work in other countries as well, like Japan with their bullet trains. By comparing this to our technology, it’s clear that ours can improve with much more efficiency.  

Although improvement and expansion of transportation systems like subways and trains will require a lot of money, by implementing congestion pricing, we can generate revenue, reduce emissions, and travel time all at once. Investing in more advanced technology would be extremely beneficial and necessary to increase efficiency.  

Congestion pricing is controversial, so it is very important to emphasize that it will only lead to improvements in transportation conditions. “The hope is that drivers will not want to pay the fee, and will instead opt to commute via public transportation”(Tomkiewicz). Meanwhile, revenue created from congestion pricing would go directly towards funding for subway and train expansion(Tomkiewicz). 

Counter: Many people dislike congestion pricing and also think they should add more roads instead. That would not solve the issue. Pollution would still be a massive problem. 

 It has already been proven to work in multiple other cities including London. In London, by implementing congestion pricing, there was a “30% average drop in congestion, 37% average increase in traffic speed, 20% reduction in fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, More than $360 million has been used toward expansion and enhancement of mass transit networks”, and “30% increase in bus readership during peak hours”(Tomkiewicz). Even the communications director at transportation alternatives, Wiley Norvell, says NYC “can’t fund transit expansion without” congestion pricing.