The Traffic Solution Most Cities Haven't Tried

Videos

Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Economics, Civics

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by Vox

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What it is

This video from Vox explains how congestion pricing, or charging motorists for using the road during high-traffic times, could solve multiple problems in New York City.
Students will learn about how effective congestion pricing has been in London and how a similar model could help other big cities.

Teaching tips

Positives

This video does a good job of establishing the pros and cons of enacting congestion pricing in New York City while also showing why congestion pricing may be the most viable option for the city's growing traffic problem.
Pie charts, graphs, and maps help visual learners understand the information presented in the video.

Prerequisites

This video begins with an advertisement.
The video does not address the positive environmental impact that congestion pricing might have on New York City.
Since this video was produced in 2019, New York City has developed a congestion pricing plan called the Central Business District Tolling Program.

Differentiation & Implementation

Science classes can do their own research to locate data on air pollution produced by personal vehicles versus public transit.
Younger students can create a mind map showing all of the problems that emanate from traffic in New York City and then discuss which of the problems could be solved by having fewer vehicles on the road.
History, social studies, or government classes can research the successes, failures, and changing public opinion of London's 2003 congestion pricing system.
Other resources related to this topic include Car-Free Streets Are Amazing (And We Need More of Them), What Makes Walkable Cities?, and Mapping Air Pollution in Oakland, CA.

From the scientist review

This resource is a 6-minute video that presents an overview of congestion pricing and the ways in which it can alleviate congestion and heavy traffic in cities. Since this video came out, New York City has implemented congestion pricing. This resource is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Subjects: Economics, Civics
Format: YouTube Video
Language: English
Location: North America > United States > New York > New York
Provider: Vox
Authors: Vox
Published: April 27, 2021
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · D2.Civ.12.6-8 + 9 more

Core

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D2.Civ.12.6-8Assess specific rules and laws (both actual and proposed) as means of addressing public problems.
D2.Civ.13.6-8Analyze the purposes, implementation, and consequences of public policies in multiple settings.
D2.Eco.2.6-8Evaluate alternative approaches or solutions to current economic issues in terms of benefits and costs for different groups and society as a whole.
D2.Eco.1.9-12Analyze how incentives influence choices that may result in policies with a range of costs and benefits for different groups.
D2.Eco.2.9-12Use marginal benefits and marginal costs to construct an argument for or against an approach or solution to an economic issue.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.

Wisconsin Climate Education Hub

English Language Arts

SL.6.2Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
SL.11-12.3Understand and evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.

Social Studies

SS.Econ1.a.hPerform a cost-benefit analysis on a real-world situation, using economic thinking to describe the marginal costs and benefits of a particular decision.

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