Toll Tales: How GCS Navigates the Pricey Passage to School
Art provided by Juliette Robertson ‘25
On Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, New York City was the first major city in the U.S. to mandate congestion pricing for all citizens. When driving south of 60th Street, New Yorkers must pay a mandatory fee.
These costs range from $2.25-$9.00 for passenger vehicles and larger vehicles such as trucks, $3.60-$14.40, depending on the time of day. There has been much controversy over equality for commuters who rely on driving to and from work or school and may not have easy access to a mode of public transportation. To better understand this complex topic, several Grace faculty members and students were interviewed about their perspectives on the policy and how they are affected by it.
The head of high school, Lorry Perry, said she drives into the city every day from New Jersey and shared thoughts on the policy’s unfairness. Many faculty members and students are now being forced to take public transport to school.
Ms. Perry immediately noticed the decrease in traffic during her commutes in January, which is one positive aspect of this policy. On the other hand, Ms. Perry does not have an alternative mode of transport. She cannot get to school through public transportation due to her location in western New Jersey. She sympathizes with New Jerseyans and others who have no choice but to pay the high costs of driving to and from school.
Not only is Ms. Perry right about traffic decreasing within the congestion pricing zones, but there has also been a significant decrease in car accidents, injuries, and fatalities. So far this year, there have been only 37 injuries from 90 crashes within the congestion pricing zone, whereas in 2024, there were a total of 76 injuries and 199 car crashes within the same constraint.
When Mel Chan, one of the high school counselors, spoke with The Gazette, the congestion pricing policy was coming into effect, and he said he was ecstatic that “parking has been significantly easier to find” in the morning when he occasionally drives to Grace.
He recounted a story where he was shocked to see several parking spots available around 8:00 a.m., which is rush hour traffic for New Yorkers. He thought something was wrong, and he misunderstood the situation due to the rarity of this, leading him to drive even further than he typically would to find a farther parking spot. On his walk back to school, however, it came to his attention that these parking spaces were available; this continued to be the case thus far for Mr. Chan during his morning commutes to the high school, which has made his daily commutes increasingly more efficient, although more expensive.
Mr. Chan also frequently takes the subway to school and has noticed an upsurge in delays and crowds in the subways. However, he stays hopeful that the congestion pricing money will help improve the safety and conditions of the MTA system. In January alone, congestion pricing boosted profits for the MTA by $48.6 million, which includes the $10.6 million from taxis and ride services such as Uber and Lyft, and the remaining $38 million was from passenger vehicles, buses, motorcycles, and trucks entering and exiting the congestion relief zones.
Students within the Grace community were also asked about their journey to and from school and if congestion pricing has affected their mode of transport. Penelope W. ‘28, who used to get to and from school by car, said she shared how she now takes the L train due to the high prices required for all people to pay when entering both in and out of the congestion pricing zones. Her commute has taken increasingly longer, she said, due to overly crowded subway cars in addition to frequent delays. However, Penelope is not the only one facing this issue in their daily commute to Grace.
Leah R. ‘28 expresses her challenges commuting. When asked if she noticed changes, Leah said: “There definitely are more delays, and sometimes I can’t get on the train since it’s so crowded with people.” This statement showcases the real impact of these policies on students at Grace, and seemingly confirms the impact of the congestion fees, leading to overcrowded subway cars and delays. It has been proven that since congestion pricing laws came into effect, there has been a 7.3% increase in subway usage.
As of late, there has been an increase in controversy regarding congestion pricing due to Trump’s opinions on the matter. According to a New York Times article, “In congestion pricing fight, Trump administration Ratchets Up Threats”, Trump believes congestion pricing is hurting the local economy of the city, whereas Governor Kathy Hochul is persistent in the fact that this policy is essential for improving the city’s MTA system, in addition to reducing the chaotic traffic of New York City.
Whether this policy has been implemented for the better or worse is still up for debate.
Catherine Coulthard ‘27 and Madison Glashow ‘27, the authors, are staff writers for The Grace Gazette.