The most detailed view of NYC traffic (so far)

With the launch of the Central Business District Tolling Program, also known as congestion pricing, New York began an exciting effort to reshape how people and vehicles share the public space of our city streets. With tolling equipment now within and ringing Manhattan at or below 60 Street, it is also the very first time that the public has access to detailed data about how vehicles enter the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ) every day.

Given the way this program directly impacts our shared public space, it is critically important that the public be able to see the changes already taking place. With their own eyes, and now with their own data, we want to empower everyone to better understand this program.

This new dataset is now available on NYS Open Data: MTA Congestion Relief Zone Vehicle Entries.

Today, we will be explaining where this data comes from, how it can shed light on the nature of vehicular travel into the CRZ, and how we’ll collectively be using this data to track how this effort unfolds over the coming year.

Figure 1: Weekday vehicle entries to the CRZ (10-minute increments)

Every 10 minutes, an average of approximately 4,000 vehicles enter the CRZ through one of 12 detection areas. Peak tolling rates are in effect between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Morning commute hours (6 a.m. to 10 a.m.) and evening commute hours (4 p.m. to 8 p.m.) are shaded in blue. This figure shows average weekday traffic (Mon-Fri) for the first two weeks of the program (01/05/25 to 01/18/25).

How does the MTA track vehicle entries to the Congestion Relief Zone?

Around and within the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ), the MTA has installed 110 detection points that detect license plates and E-ZPass transponders of all the vehicles driving into the CRZ. This equipment detects license plates and E-ZPass transponders for each vehicle driving into the CRZ. They also, critically, provide a way to understand how traffic is changing within the city.

Figure 2: CRZ detection equipment

Detection array located on West End Avenue between 60 and 61 Street.

Table 1: Sample of Congestion Relief Zone Vehicle Entry Dataset

This Open Dataset counts the number of entry trips to the CRZ and Excluded Roadways. Users of this data can drill down further by 10-minute time interval, detection group, and vehicle category for a detailed understanding of how vehicles are traveling into Manhattan.

The vehicle detections collected by the tolling system are then stitched together into unique trips. If, for example, a vehicle enters Manhattan via the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel and drives north along the West Side Highway before turning east on 14 Street, those multiple detections will be stitched together into a single trip.

What we focus on in this dataset are entry trips, each of which can be thought of as a single instance of a single vehicle entering Manhattan at or below 60 Street. Table 1 shows a few sample rows of this dataset, which provide the total number of inbound vehicle trips that occur for each entry point, vehicle type, and 10-minute interval of the day.

To highlight a few key columns in this dataset (see additional documentation):

• Toll Date: The calendar date that a vehicle entered Manhattan at or below 60 Street.
• Toll 10-minute Interval: The 10-minute time window during which a vehicle entered Manhattan at or below 60 Street.
• Time Period: Whether the specified time window had the peak or overnight period toll rate in effect
• Vehicle Category: The category of the vehicle that was detected by the tolling system. TLC Taxis/FHVs enrolled in the Per-Trip Charge Plan are listed as a separate vehicle category in this taxonomy.
• Detection Group: The first crossing point where a vehicle was detected, representing the location that was used to enter Manhattan at or below 60 Street. For example: the Lincoln Tunnel, Williamsburg Bridge, and Manhattan Bridge are each unique detection groups.
• CRZ Entries: The number of trips that entered the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ). This is the geographic area of Manhattan below and including 60 Street, excluding the FDR Drive, the West Side Highway, and any surface roadway portion of the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connecting to West Street, where vehicles are subject to tolling.
• Excluded Roadway Trips: The number of trips that took place solely on the FDR Drive, the West Side Highway, and/or any surface roadway portion of the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connecting to West Street (the “Excluded Roadways”) entering at the specified detection group. It is possible to make these trips via the Brooklyn Bridge, Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, or the northern entrances to the FDR Drive and West Side Highway. These trips are not subject to tolling.

At a high level, we can now understand how many vehicles are entering the zone each day. Since the program launched, we have seen approximately 490,000 weekday entries to the CRZ, and approximately 63,000 average weekday entries to the Excluded Roadways.

Figure 3: Daily entries to CRZ and Excluded Roadways

Since program launch, we have seen that CRZ entries are around 89% of all entries to the Central Business District (CBD). Weekends and holidays are shown in lighter shades of blue and gray.

What is the difference between the Congestion Relief Zone and the Excluded Roadways?

In historic traffic studies, the entire area of Manhattan at and below 60 Street has been treated as one contiguous area, referred to as the “Central Business District” (CBD), and includes all roads and thruways in Manhattan below 60 Street.

Figure 4: Manhattan below 60 Street (CBD) can be separated between the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ) and the Excluded Roadways

While the tolling system records all vehicle entries to Manhattan below 60 Street (sometimes referred to as the “CBD”), only entries to the CRZ are subject to a toll. Vehicle trips that remain solely on the Excluded Roadways are not subject to a toll. 

The program divides this area below 60 Street further. The first area is the Excluded Roadways, where vehicles can travel without incurring a CRZ toll. The only detection groups that may have Excluded Roadway entries are the Brooklyn Bridge, FDR Drive, Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, and West Side Highway.

The second area is the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ), which consists of the surface streets where a vehicle may incur a toll. From a policy standpoint, we are most interested in how CRZ entries are shifting because of the toll.

Figure 5: Average weekday vehicle entries to the CRZ and Excluded Roadways by crossing point

It is possible to access the Excluded Roadways via the Brooklyn Bridge, Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, FDR Drive, and West Side Highways. On average 41% of traffic traveling inbound on the Brooklyn Bridge exits to the FDR Drive without entering the CRZ. See more information on Excluded Roadways. This figure shows average weekday traffic (Mon-Fri) for the first two weeks of the program (01/05/25 to 01/18/25). 

What are the six vehicle categories in the tolling system?

The tolling system assigns vehicles to one of six vehicle categories, each of which is subject to a different toll for entering the CRZ:

• Class 1 - Cars, Pickups and Vans. These are the most common vehicles entering the CRZ.
• Class 2 – Small Trucks.
• Class 3 – Large Trucks.
• Class 4 – Buses. All buses, including transit buses, intercity buses, sightseeing buses, and school buses.
• Class 5 – Motorcycles.
• TLC Taxis/FHVs. This category represents taxis and for-hire vehicles (FHVs) registered with the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission and enrolled in the MTA’s Per-Trip Charge Plan. This is an exclusive category: Sedans registered in this program will appear under this category, and not as a Class 1 vehicle. These vehicles operate under a different toll structure: Passengers pay a per-trip toll for any trip taken to, from, or within the Congestion Relief Zone, which is remitted separately to the MTA. Taxis not enrolled in the MTA’s Per-Trip Charge Plan are included in Class 1.

Figure 6: Weekday CRZ entries by vehicle category (first two weeks of program launch)

Class 1 vehicles (cars, pickups, and vans) represent the most common vehicle category entering the CRZ. On the average weekday, these vehicles make 272,000 entry trips (57%). Taxis and FHVs represent the next largest category, comprising 36% of CRZ entries. With trucks not permitted to drive on the FDR Drive or on the West Side Highway north of 57 Street, they comprise a very small share of trips taken on Excluded Roadways. This figure shows average weekday traffic (Mon-Fri) for the first two weeks of the program (01/05/25 to 01/18/25). 

Can this dataset be used to estimate revenue collected by Congestion Pricing? (No)

This dataset should not be used for estimating toll revenue. There are a variety of factors that determine if, when, and how much a vehicle is tolled for entering the CRZ:

• Repeat entries to the CRZ, within the same calendar day, are not tolled for Class 1 and Class 5 vehicles. All repeat entries are included in this dataset.
• Vehicles may qualify for a number of discount and exemption programs (Low-Income Discount, Individual Disability Exemption, Emergency Vehicle Exemption, etc.) All discounted and exempted entries are included in this dataset.
• Vehicles associated with an active E-ZPass account are tolled at a different rate than vehicles receiving a bill via Tolls by Mail. This is reconciled after entry.
• TLC Taxis/FHVs enrolled in the Per-Trip Charge Plan levy a toll on passenger trips, rather than pay tolls on entry. This represents a significant portion of revenue.
• Vehicles using a valid E-ZPass that enter the CRZ during peak hours via the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, and Queens Midtown Tunnel are eligible for crossing credits.

With these factors, this dataset should only be used for understanding traffic and not for revenue estimation.

With this data, we can see how the city moves

Using this dataset, we can understand how traffic patterns into the CRZ change throughout the day, and how they are different for each crossing and type of vehicle.

We already see evidence of the peak toll schedule shifting behavior

Beginning with the first figure in this blog post, we can already see evidence of behavior shifting as a result of the peak toll schedule. From 4:40 a.m. to 5 a.m., we see approximately 2,300 vehicles entering the city during each 10-minute window. At 5 a.m., this volume drops to approximately 1,800 vehicles as the peak toll period takes effect, before climbing again at 5:20 a.m. Similarly, we can see a jump from approximately 3,100 to approximately 3,700 vehicle entries when the toll rate changes at 9 p.m. each evening.

Figure 7: Weekday vehicle entries to the CRZ (10-minute increments)

Every 10 minutes, approximately 4,000 vehicles enter the CRZ through one of twelve crossing points. Peak tolling rates are in effect between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Morning commute hours (6 a.m. to 10 a.m.) and evening commute hours (4 p.m. to 8 p.m.) are shaded in blue. This figure shows average weekday traffic (Mon-Fri) for the first two weeks of the program (01/05/25 to 01/18/25). 

Entry patterns differ by origin region

When we look at these vehicle entry points, we can also begin to understand how travel patterns into the CRZ differ between crossings. If we look at Figure 8, we can see the general breakdown of vehicle entries to the CRZ by crossing. Vehicles traveling over New Jersey Crossings (the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels) represent 17% of inbound CRZ entries, while vehicles traveling from Brooklyn (the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and Hugh L. Carey Tunnel) represent 24% of entries.

Looking beyond this general breakdown, though, we can also see how these different regions actually have different travel patterns. If we look at entries in Figure 9, inbound entries from New Jersey peak between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., while entries coming from Brooklyn, Queens, and Upper Manhattan have a much later peak between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Furthermore, a greater share of vehicle entries from Upper Manhattan take place in the late-afternoon and evening hours, rather than during the morning commute.

Figure 8: New Jersey traffic represents 17% of CRZ entries

The greatest number of CRZ entries comes from the 60 Street Cordon (43%), followed by vehicles entering from the three Brooklyn Crossings (24%). This figure shows average weekday traffic (Mon-Fri) for the first two weeks of the program (01/05/25 to 01/18/25). 

Figure 9: New Jersey Crossings hit “peak commute” earlier than other entry points

Vehicles traveling through the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels reach peak entry volumes between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. The East River Crossings and 60 Street Cordon, in contrast, see peak vehicle volumes later in the morning (8 a.m.-9 a.m.). This 

Figure 10: The difference in “peak travel” can be seen when looking at individual crossings

Two entry points that show this contrast are the Lincoln Tunnel and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel. The Lincoln Tunnel reaches peak inbound volume between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., whereas the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel doesn’t reach peak inbound volume until between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Morning commute hours (6 a.m. to 10 a.m.) and evening commute hours (4 p.m. to 8 p.m.) are shaded in blue. This figure shows average weekday traffic (Mon-Fri) for the first two weeks of the program (01/05/25 to 01/18/25).

Entry patterns for personal vehicles, trucks, and Taxis/FHVs differ substantially

So far, these hourly plots have presented vehicles as if they were one homogeneous group. However, congestion pricing was designed with the knowledge that different types of vehicles have different traffic contributions within New York City. When we look at entry patterns by these different categories, we see demonstrably different behavior.

Class 1 vehicles (cars, pickups, and vans) represent the greatest share of CRZ entries (57%), and show the greatest evidence of time shifting around the peak toll period, as seen in Figure 11. Trucks, in contrast, enter the CRZ primarily during morning commute hours (6 a.m. to 10 a.m.), with entries tapering throughout the day, as seen in Figure 12.

Lastly, Taxi/FHV entries show markedly different patterns from either of these two previous vehicle types. Entries for this vehicle category actually peak in the evening, and because they are tolled separately on a per-trip basis, do not exhibit the time-shifting behavior seen with cars, pickups, and vans.

Figure 12: Single- and Multi-Unit Truck entries peak during morning hours and gradually decrease throughout the day

Single-Unit (Class 2) and Multi-Unit Trucks (Class 3) have a markedly different entry pattern from Cars, Pickups and Vans. These entries are concentrated during morning hours and then taper steadily throughout the rest of the day. Morning peak hours (6 a.m. to 10 a.m.) and evening peak hours (4 p.m. to 8 p.m.) are shaded in blue. This figure shows average weekday traffic (Mon-Fri) for the first two weeks of the program (01/05/25 to 01/18/25).

This data will update weekly, and can be viewed on a public dashboard at metrics.mta.info

Looking to quickly visualize and explore this data yourself? We've got you covered! We've added a new dashboard to metrics.mta.info where you can easily explore the data through a simple, user-friendly dashboard.

While we encourage users to work directly with this granular data for their own exploration, this dashboard will reflect the daily and hourly CRZ entry totals that have been posted on Open Data. This dashboard, along with the Open Dataset, will update on a weekly cadence.

Figure 14: CRZ Vehicle Entries dashboard on metrics.mta.info

While this dataset can always be downloaded in raw form, we have also made it easy to visualize with a pre-built dashboard on metrics.mta.info.

Watch this space

As the rollout of congestion pricing continues, we will be closely watching this program and sharing in this forum what we are seeing. Readers of this blog can look forward to future posts on traffic speeds, historical traffic patterns, bus speeds and more.

We will also continue to augment this Open Data offering with new data sources as they come online. We are excited for all of us—both within the MTA and in the public—to continue learning how this program is reshaping the built and lived environment of our city.

About the authors

Matt Yarri, Gayan Seneviratna, Evan Morris, Ian Hartz, Stephen Crim, John Collier, Julia Lynn, and Jack Hui are members of the MTA Data & Analytics team and MTA Bridges and Tunnels Policy & Operations Analysis team.

Dig into the data and let us know what you find at opendata@mtahq.org.