Congestion pricing for Boston’s Logan Airport a nonstarter

A few months ago, it seemed that New York was about to tip the nation’s major cities toward some form of congestion pricing for their more congested areas.

Instead, state legislators in New York went with a more modest approach for Gotham, including charges for for-hire vehicles such as traditional taxis and those hailed through ride-sharing services such as Uber.

Now, in Boston, a modest proposal to charge drivers headed to Logan Airport—the closest Massachusetts or New England at large has ever come to a form of congestion pricing—has died under official scrutiny.

The Massachusetts Port Authority noted after reviewing the proposal that many motorists already pay a fee to drive away from the airport. Plus, there is little precedent in the United States for charging to drive to an airport. (Only one, in fact, does—Dallas/Fort Worth International, which officials note is much larger than Logan.)

Meanwhile, Massport is planning to add thousands of parking spots at Logan.

• Driving to Logan won’t cost you an extra fee, Massport decides [Globe]
• Congestion pricing in Boston: Has its time arrived? [Curbed Boston]
• NYC congestion pricing is shirked in state budget for surcharge on for-hire vehicles [Curbed NY]