Local Governments are Trying to Cut Down on Cars but Some States are Standing in the Way – Yale Climate Connections
Earlier this summer, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul made headlines around the world by canceling New York City’s long-planned congestion pricing program, which had been hailed as a promising model for reducing cars’ domination of American city streets. Her decision has been denounced by many New York City political and transportation leaders, including Comptroller Brad Lander, who is part of a coalition that has filed multiple lawsuits challenging the governor.
This kind of conflict isn’t unique to New York. Across the nation, state and local officials frequently clash over efforts to make urban transportation less car-centric.
“You have cities that really want to do things differently, and you have states that are prohibiting that,” said John Bailey, a transportation specialist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental nonprofit also known as NRDC.
In recent decades, many local governments have made increasingly ambitious pledges to nudge their residents out of their cars. Motivated by concerns like climate change, urban sprawl, and traffic deaths, U.S. cities are trying to make it easier for people to get around on public transportation, on foot, and by bike. Within the past five years, even famously car-centric cities like Houston and Phoenix have announced goals to significantly cut down on driving.
These efforts could add up to substantial climate benefits.
