Would the now shelved congestion tax narrow or widen the health equity gap if brought back to NYC?

Ghassabian et al recently published a review ahead of the implementation of the New York City (NYC) congestion tax.1 The authors describe successful efforts by other nations to reduce traffic and pollution and discuss the unique demographics of NYC that may make the consequences of similar measures less predictable. In light of the update that the congestion tax has been set aside, this is an opportunity to elaborate on possible health equity implications the congestion tax poses prior to future efforts to reinstate the policy in NYC.

The authors discuss that London’s Congestion Charging Scheme reduced traffic flow and was possibly responsible for reductions in pollution in Central London.1 Other studies determined that the London tax’s greatest benefits were accrued by those living in financially deprived neighbourhoods.2 We would like to highlight Ghassabian et al’s warning that benefits may not identically translate to NYC. The…

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