INTRO – HOST: New York City’s Congestion Pricing Program will result in an influx of traffic at the Cross-Bronx Expressway, increasing air pollution in the area.

The program will place tolls as high as $23 to discourage drivers from entering Midtown and Lower Manhattan, areas known for being the city’s center of finance, tourism, and entertainment. 

Drivers, in order to avoid the tolls, will eventually make their way through the Cross Bronx Expressway resulting in an estimated 5% increase of air pollution. This increase will have harmful effects on the Bronx population as it is known for having the city’s highest rates of Asthma. 

NAT SOUND: Emergency Room sounds, monitors’ beeping, doctor and nurses consulting with each other.

DR. BLANCA GRAND: “You know, you would think Manhattan would have the highest, there’s a lot more congestion there, a lot more people there, a lot more everything there. But for some reason, the Bronx has higher rates of Asthma.”

Doctor Blanca Grand from Saint Barnabas Hospital fears this increase of air pollution will lead to higher cases of respiratory diseases in the Bronx. 

She has been working in the Emergency department for about 20 years, often assisting patients with Asthma. Dr. Grand and her team oversee roughly 2000 to 2500 patients with asthma yearly. 

She states there is simply a lack of education amongst the public relating to the true danger of respiratory issues. 

DR. BLANCA GRAND: “At the same time, even though it’s so pervasive, you would think everyone is very well educated. It’s just the opposite. I think that people just assume, you know, we all have asthma and then you know, they don’t really know enough about the disease” 

NAT SOUND: Traffic from the Cross Bronx Expressway near the 175th Street Playground.

Right next to the Cross Bronx Expressway is 175th Street Playground. A park frequented by Lehman college student Kaylyn Torres where she often walks her dog. 

She states that this plan will do more harm than good and now worries about the health of her loved ones. Many of her family members have asthma and live near the Cross-Bronx Expressway. 

KAYLYN TORRES: “I understand the idea why they’re doing so, but I feel like as though it’s an easy fix that’s gonna lead to more problems”

The roughly 220,000 residents that live around the Cross Bronx Expressway are mainly people of color. Minorities cover the majority of asthma-related deaths, with 80% of patients hospitalized being Latino and African American. 

ANGELLY ABREU: “It’s so sad that the Bronx is not being taken care of. I think it’s just a forgotten borough”

Angelly and her Husband Louis Johnathan Abreu were taking their two sons to the 175th street playground. As proud parents of their sons and daughter, they also feared the harmful effects of congestion pricing. Both state that the congestion pricing program is yet another misstep by politicians unaware of how certain policies might affect the minority. 

LOUIS JOHNATHAN ABREU: “I understand there’s a little more representation nowadays in government but the reality is it’s still not where they’re gonna put us as a priority.” 

The Congestion Pricing Program is a controversial topic in the minds of many New Yorkers. However, one cannot deny the harmful effects that the plan will bring to the black and brown communities of the Bronx, suffering from higher rates of air pollution compared to the rest of New York City.  

This is Pamela Rozon from Hunter College