Well, you can’t say they didn’t warn us.
Congestion pricing is reportedly really helping to ease traffic in Manhattan.
But Staten Island is getting slammed with increased traffic since congestion pricing went into effect in January, according to data reviewed by the Staten Island Advance/SILIve.com.
You don’t say.
The Goethals Bridge saw a big 15% jump in truck traffic in January along with a 3% increase in car traffic.
But the percentages don’t tell the whole story: the increase translates to 18,490 more trucks and 41,675 more cars overall when comparing January 2024 to January 2025.
Well, it’s like the MTA told us when congestion pricing was still being cooked up in the lab: Staten Island could see more truck traffic, as well as increased pollution, thanks to the program.
As if we needed more truck and car congestion on Staten Island when traffic here is already at a standstill most of the time.
But we sure are glad we could help ease the traffic burden on Manhattan.
Coincidentally, perhaps, a section of the Staten Island Expressway is seeing slower speeds on average in the months following congestion pricing.
That section is the Brooklyn-bound side of the expressway between the Clove Road and Fingerboard Road exits, leading to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
In 2024, the average speeds between Clove Road and Fingerboard Road for all drivers heading east on the expressway were 52.6 MPH in January, 53.0 MPH in February, 50.8 MPH in March, and 52.9 MPH in April.
For 2025, those averages fell to 49.6 MPH in January, 46.3 MPH in February, 47.5 MPH in March, and 42.3 MPH in April.
True, it’s a snapshot in time and space. But one worth looking at given what the numbers have revealed about increased traffic on the Goethals.
According to a report from Transportation Alternatives earlier this year, a total of 408,430 vehicles used the Verrazzano in the first two months of 2024.
But 410,915 vehicles used the bridge in the first two months of 2025.
That amounted to 2,485 more cars.
The fact that that number fell below traffic increase predictions was cold comfort to Staten Islanders who already deal with grinding traffic congestion as a way of life.
Yes, there are caveats to all this. There are always caveats.
Express bus times have improved, according to the data. That’s helpful to Staten Islanders.
Some city crossings have seen an average of 15 minutes shaved off rush-hour drive times. Traffic has significantly improved at the Holland Tunnel, for example.
On weekday mornings in the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, however, average travel times have more closely mirrored pre-congestion pricing numbers, according to the data reviewed by the Advance/SILive.com.
During evening rush hour on Fridays, the average travel times pre- and post-congestion pricing are almost indistinguishable.
In other words, not much improvement when it comes to a tunnel that’s a major entry point for Staten Islanders traveling into Manhattan.
However, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays see some improvement at the tunnel, with travel times between two and four minutes faster on average, depending on the exact day and time.
Overall, not much to brag about when compared to the $9 tax that’s levied on drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street.
So, congestion pricing is working for Manhattan.
Bravo.
But some things are worse for Staten Islanders.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen that dynamic at play.
And it won’t be the last. Count on it.
