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MPC Senior Director Discusses Congestion Pricing in Chicago

Motorists traveling on Lake Shore Drive sit in stalled traffic.
Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press

Is a congestion tax on drivers the answer to Chicago’s traffic and budget woes?

New York City’s tolling program is now in full swing. Should Chicago follow suit?

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons | 18 min 28 sec
Jan 9, 2025

As part of a recent Reset podcast, Sasha-Ann Simons noted that Chicago and New York City are tied for some of the worst traffic in the in the country and both need more revenue. Mayor Brandon Johnson re-introduced the idea of congestion pricing in Chicago. Could some version of this idea help with traffic and budget woes?

Audrey Wennink, MPC Senior Director, Joseph Schwieterman, Director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University, and Justin Marlowe, research professor in the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy took part in a conversation discussing the possible pros and cons of such a program.