Record-Setting Subway, Bus, and Commuter Rail Service Takes Cars Off the Roads; Ridership Is Up Nearly 10%
Efficient LED Lights Installed Throughout the System Provide Safety and Cost Savings
This Earth Day, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is celebrating the launch of Congestion Relief Zone Tolling, which has reduced the number of vehicles entering the most congested parts of Manhattan by 13% and sped travel for the remaining traffic by up to 30%, meaning less idling, grinding stop-and-start travel, and carbon emissions. Congestion Relief Zone Tolling has prevented an estimated 6.7 million vehicle trips into the zone since the program launched in January, or roughly 550,000 per week.
“Mass transit has always been the antidote to climate change but with congestion relief, we're maximizing MTA's undeniable positive impact on New York's environment and economy,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “In addition to reducing traffic, the program is generating funding for critical transit projects that will make operations greener, like new electric buses, more efficient station lighting and new battery-electric locomotives.”
Manhattan’s Congestion Relief Zone is saving drivers in the zone up to 21 minutes per trip and making bus service faster and more reliable. As an indication of a reduction in anxiety accompanying a reduction in emissions, complaints about excessive car horn honking within the zone were down by more than 70% in January and February compared to the same time last year.
Greener Operations
An increasing number of subway riders are also benefiting from brighter and more efficient LED lighting that further reduces emissions and electricity costs. MTA crews have converted more than half of subway stations systemwide to brighter, modern, efficient lighting in just over a year.
When complete, this conversion to LED will save the MTA an estimated $5.9 million in annual recurring energy and material cost savings and reduce carbon emissions. It will brighten every subway platform and mezzanine, increasing safety systemwide, and enhancing the customer experience. The new LED light fixtures will also provide greater illumination for 15,000 security cameras in the subway system, enhancing safety by creating more detailed images for the NYPD to use when necessary.
Seventy-five zero-emission buses are now on the road. Phase one of zero-emission bus charging infrastructure is complete with four new locations now online at Grand Avenue, Williamsburg Plaza, Charleston, and East NY/Herkimer Depots, with a total of 60 dispensers. Two hydrogen fuel cell buses are expected to be delivered to Gun Hill Depot later this year.
These new 40-foot buses will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by upwards of 90 metric tons annually per bus. They feature lightweight electric traction drive systems that allow buses to recover up to 90% of energy during braking. Regenerative braking reduces wear and tear on brakes and maximizes energy efficiency.
The Benefits of Public Transportation
For many years, the MTA has helped New Yorkers avoid emitting 20 million metric tons of carbon annually by operating transit that encourages New Yorkers to avoid car trips and enabling high-density neighborhoods. This massive avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions, even in advance of Congestion Relief Zone Tolling, is the equivalent of the amount of carbon absorbed by a forest greater than the size of the state of Indiana or of keeping 4.5 million cars off the road.
That benefit is expected to increase in conjunction with service increases for subways, buses, and the Long Island Rail Road.