Manhattan gridlock is worse than ever

Plus: The war on mopeds [On The Way - from WNYC and Gothamist]( Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( Inside today's newsletter: A video of Hochul debating herself on congestion pricing, moped angst in Jackson Heights and the dream of a full-sized G train Hochul’s congestion pricing pause comes as Manhattan gridlock reaches all time high By [Stephen Nessen]( and [Clayton Guse]( It’s been a week since Gov. Kathy Hochul dropped a bombshell by [indefinitely pausing congestion pricing](. Much of the attention since then has focused on the MTA losing $15 billion it had been counting on for subway repairs and upgrades. But what about Hochul’s decision to maintain the status quo when it comes to traffic? Traffic planner and former transportation commissioner Sam Schwartz says he’s never seen it this bad, going back to 1915. “Congestion now is worse than it's been in history,” Schwartz told Gothamist. “Probably people in the 1800s were going faster than we are today.” Here are a few data points on the state of the streets: At the peak of the pandemic, in March 2020, the average speed was much higher at 11.5 miles per hour. The MTA says 100,000 fewer cars would enter Manhattan with congestion pricing. The agency predicts traffic will only increase without the tolls. The vast majority of people who commute to the city for work – 1.3 million – are getting there on public transit. Just 143,000 people drive into the toll zone for work. --------------------------------------------------------------- Those income figures come from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, which used Census data to estimate commuter demographics. Drivers stuck in traffic hurt New York’s economy through lost productivity, according to an estimate from the Partnership for New York, a pro-business group. What New York is reading this week - Over the past year, Gov. Hochul made a series of passionate arguments in support of congestion pricing. Then she changed her mind. Behold: a video mash-up of Hochul debating herself. [Watch it here](. - New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said yesterday that Hochul’s move to halt congestion pricing may violate several state and federal laws, and he’s planning legal action to force her to move ahead with the tolling program. [Read more](. - Did Hochul really change her stance on congestion pricing based on conversations with drivers at three Manhattan diners? [We investigated](. - MTA Chair Janno Lieber said that once the construction scheduled for this summer's G train shutdown is completed, the line could potentially host full-sized trains if the demand is there. [Read more](. - Over the last two years, as politicians have failed to deliver on promises to get safer e-bike batteries to delivery workers, another type of vehicle with a different set of safety concerns has emerged: gas-powered mopeds. [Read more](. - The moped issue is particularly charged in Jackson Heights, where people have been riding them through the 26-block open street that’s become a permanent, vehicle-free park on 34th Avenue. [Read more](. - Port Authority officials have announced plans to expand the use of license plate readers at crossings between Staten Island and New Jersey to crack down on car theft and other crimes. [Read more](. - The Christopher Street 1 train station in the West Village is being renamed the Christopher Street-Stonewall National Monument station under a new state bill honoring the Stonewall Inn uprising of 1969. [Read more](. Curious commuter “Why aren’t there bike racks on the buses?” - Kennedy From Queens What Clayton says: Other cities like Chicago have bike racks on the front of all public transit buses. In the Windy City, there are two spots to secure a two-wheeler on the front of a bus while cyclists ride inside. Here in New York, the MTA has only rolled out that type of equipment on a handful of routes that cross bridges like the Whitestone, Verrazzano-Narrows and Triboro, which don’t have bike lanes. The MTA has not announced a plan to install the racks on all 5,700 of its buses. Have a question for us? [Use this form]( to submit yours and we may answer it in a future newsletter! Curious Commuter questions are exclusive for On The Way newsletter subscribers. Did a friend forward this to you? [Sign up for free here]( to start asking your questions. This week in NYC transit history [a stamp for the 1965 World's Fair]( Mike Rega/Getty Images European royal can’t take NYC subway heat The World’s Fair attracted dignitaries from all over the globe to Queens in the summer of 1965, but not all of them enjoyed the ride. Princess Christina of Sweden took a trip on a special train to the fair on June 8 of that year — and said the subway was in desperate need of air conditioning. “It never gets this hot” in Stockholm, [she told reporters](. “I knew the New York subway was crowded, but I never thought it was like this.” All of the city’s subway trains have since been fitted with AC — though the systems are known to break down. [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [YouTube]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. 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