The Streets Were Never Free. Congestion Pricing Finally Makes That Plain.

Author  Emily Badger

The policy could change not just traffic, but also how we think about the infrastructure cars require.

Congestion pricing has the potential to significantly change how traffic flows through Manhattan streets, how commuters get around the city, how companies like Uber and Lyft operate.

But most radically, if the policy spreads it could challenge a deeply embedded cultural idea, requiring people to pay for something Americans have long demanded — and largely believe they’ve gotten — free of charge.