The first work week of congestion pricing is wrapping up in New York City. It has been six days since the controversial program got started, which charges most vehicles $9 to drive below 60th Street in Manhattan during peak hours.

Behind the political fight over the new tolling program is a deepening crisis in the transportation system in New York City and around the country for which neither political party has an answer.

The program had defied many obstacles over the course of decades. It debuted over the weekend on what seemed to be a successful first day.

New York City, a bustling metropolis with eight million people all trying to get somewhere, has now put a price on cars entering part of Manhattan, the first of its kind in North America. Could Toronto,

Monday marked the first weekday that thousands of drivers in New York paid congestion price fees when entering parts of Manhattan. Passenger vehicles will now pay as much as $9 to drive past 60th Street during peak hours.

Visiting New York City? Here are some fast facts on congestion pricing. The Price: Type of Vehicle Peak Off Peak Passenger and small commercial vehicles(Sedans, SUVs, pick-up trucks, and small vans) $9 $2.

I spent nearly 50 years benefitting from the phenomenon of transportation supply creating its own demand. The more lanes we built, the more work there was for us to do. Now I spend most days thinking about how to manage demand. With good intentions, we left a few messes for others to fix.

The first-in-the-nation policy — which tries to reduce traffic and raise revenue for public transit by charging drivers a steep fee to use the busiest roads in Manhattan — has