The introduction of a $9 congestion fee has resulted in faster speeds on some of the city’s famously snarled streets and fewer commuters on the bridges and tunnels. “The traffic is absolutely less, even during rush hour,

New York’s much-debated plan to charge drivers to enter the center of Manhattan is set to take effect Sunday just after midnight, following years of bureaucratic and legal roadblocks. The goals of what is known as “congestion pricing” are to reduce gridlock and pollution and raise revenue for public transit.

The toll, known as congestion pricing, is meant to reduce traffic gridlock in densely packed Manhattan while also raising money to help fix the city’s ailing public transit infrastructure. It formally took effect Sunday.

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With the first week of New York’s Congestion Pricing toll in the books, commuters are reaping a reward, spending less time in traffic in exchange for their $9 toll to enter lower Manhattan, said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.