Something you learn from watching a few oral arguments over questions of federal procedure is that the action doesn't lie in the moments when the sparring attorneys read off of their briefs. Instead it comes in the moments when a judge interrupts them to ask questions and probe their arguments. These interruptions and probes give a sense of what a judge thinks about the quality of a lawyer's argument.
I effing love this job. And that's because since I was a kid, I've been super passionate about all the stuff that we share in New York. The things that matter most to me in New York are transit, parks, libraries, the things that get rid of the inequalities that still persist in New York and maybe have gotten worse, and that make New York a place that everybody can participate in.
MTA et al v. Duffy et al The big enchilada, the main event, the linchpin in this whole damn thing. When U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to New York demanding that it cease tolling drivers headed into lower Manhattan, Gov. Hochul declared, "The cameras are staying on," and the MTA sued in federal court [ PDF]. In this case, as in many others, the federal government has been playing the role of Keystone Kops, stepping on one rake after another.
The long-awaited court showdown between the Trump administration and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, that could decide the fate of New York's $9 congestion pricing toll, is set for Jan. 28. Attorneys for the U.S. DOT and the MTA will argue before U.S District Court Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan, almost a year after the MTA sued on Feb. 19 to save congestion pricing from a federal shutdown. Each side gets two hours to make their case, according to the judge's Dec. 23 notice.
Become a paid member to listen to this article As 2025 comes to a close, we take a look back at our top 10 stories that got the most attention this past year. Our most popular articles span the topics you care about most-from transit and art to historic preservation, film locations, and the hidden secrets of NYC. Enjoy our countdown and let us know what your favorite story was this year!
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The projects - costing a combined $1.75 billion - are among the first round to be funded by revenue raised from congestion pricing, which was first implemented nearly a year ago. The state program raises funds for the MTA by charging drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street a $9 base toll.
Team Murdoch's approach has several frontws: Find as many angry drivers as possible, sprinkle in some business owners to complain (without evidence) about toll cutting into their bottom lines or getting passed on to customers, top it all off with some extremely bad data analysis - then use it all to put pressure on Gov. Hochul, who has demonstrated a willingness to make policy decisions based on the paper's fact-averse campaigns against the toll.
Menin declared victory right before Thanksgiving - earlier than any speaker candidate in New York history - but with weeks to go before the actual vote there is still time for Council members to reconsider. The "vote pledges" that Menin has in her pocket are worth only a little bit more than the press release they're printed on, and as one reporter once said about the shifting sands of these alliances, " politics ain't beanbag."
They love congestion pricing - and they're beefing over the Svengali of Gov. Kathy Hochul's congestion pricing "pause." Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Brooklyn Council Member Chi Ossé turned their friendship into a defining image of Mamdani's mayoral campaign. The duo gained the support of street safety advocates across the city, given their support of congestion pricing, bike lanes, and other improvements. But the two politicians are on the outs after Mamdani discouraged Ossé from primarying House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who persuaded Hochul to indefinitely delay the long-awaited implementation of congestion pricing last year.
Some 100,000 people took to the streets of New York City for Saturday's "No Kings" protest of President Trump repeatedly flaunting the Constitution to enact his agenda. Demonstrators included our very own Editor-in-Chief Gersh Kuntzman, who brought along a homemade sign defending the president's latest target, the 34th Street busway. Kuntzman didn't get many comments on his janky sign, but Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson (photo above) got plenty of kudos for his.
"There have been 159 traffic fatalities through 2025, which is down 18 percent from the 194 traffic deaths recorded at this point in 2024," the DOT press release stated. Now, of course, total fatalities are so low even in bad years that they're not statistically significant in a city of more than eight million people. That's why Streetsblog (and DOT) tend to look at injury-causing crashes, of which there are tens of thousands every year.
Several protest groups blocked traffic on Tuesday to prevent dignitaries, including President Trump, from entering the United Nations General Assembly on the first day of the 80th meeting of global heads of state. Photo by Dean Moses For one week every fall, New York plays host to the United Nations General Assembly, an annual summit that brings together dozens of world leaders,
Truck traffic on the Bronx leg of the Triboro Bridge is down this year, belying forewarnings that congestion pricing would funnel trucks into and through the embattled South Bronx communities of Mott Haven and Port Morris, compounding endemic pollution, noise and road danger. Truck traffic, of course, is the heart of darkness on urban streets - its tailpipe emissions, tire and brake abrasion, and sheer bulk sicken and kill. But congestion pricing, which began on Jan. 5, has been good news for the beaten-up neighborhoods.
Streetsblog will spend Labor Day out on Eastern Parkway with the bands revelers (and politicians) at the city's annual West Indian Day Parade. We'll be back Tuesday with more award-winning local transportation journalism. Until then, check out the weekend's news: Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani suffered injuries in a car crash in New Hampshire. (NY Times) Even the New York Post is excited about this month's first ever Curbside Dining Week.
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