New York City in brief

After half a year of New York’s congestion pricing—disdained as an “unfair tax” by critics like Nicole Malliotakis—state data suggests 11% fewer cars enter Manhattan’s Congestion Relief Zone, traffic lags have plummeted by a quarter, and transit ridership is at a post-pandemic high. Pollution and noise complaints also fell sharply, though we’re monitoring for side effects beyond the island’s boundary. Even cynics appreciate quieter honking.

Governor Kathy Hochul claims congestion pricing—New York City’s imposition of a $9 peak toll on Lower Manhattan drivers since January—has proved a smashing success, cutting daily car entries by 67,000 and rush-hour delays at the Holland Tunnel by 65%. Subway and bus use is up, traffic deaths are notably down, and the MTA expects $500 million in new revenue—assuming, of course, the feds don’t rain on this multi-billion dollar parade.

A record-setting heatwave left around 110,000 New Yorkers sweating through power outages last week as Con Edison’s grid, beset by retirements of fossil-fuel plants and years of deferred upgrades, buckled under simultaneous surges in demand. Officials including Governor Hochul pleaded for restraint—avoid running dryers, or alas, an extra air conditioner—while experts warn that such “new normal” disruptions may prove more reliable than the supply itself.

A new Honan Strategy Group poll finds New Yorkers eye Zohran Mamdani’s “tax-the-rich” schemes—corporate levies, millionaire surcharges, and city-run grocers—with all the enthusiasm of theatre critics at a sequel. While majorities bemoan crippling costs and back piecemeal measures like a rent freeze, support plummets once exit-prone businesses enter the chat; consensus, it seems, remains as elusive as affordable Brooklyn rent.

Williams Companies, undeterred by a 2020 regulatory snub, has reapplied to bury 17 miles of natural gas pipeline off Staten Island and Rockaway, buoyed by Donald Trump’s recent endorsement and grid failures in a sizzling New York. The firm’s optimism outpaces crab and clam concerns, with completion eyed for winter 2027—assuming state climate targets don’t prove trickier than even the city’s transit switches.