纽约市约在一年前多一些成为北美第一个实施拥挤费（congestion pricing）的城市：周一至周五进入曼哈顿南纬六十街以南的车辆，需缴付 9 美元。这项政策被视为改善空气品质并加快通行效率，但也引发州联对抗，Governor Kathy Hochul 拥护它，President Donald Trump 则多次承诺要终止。芝加哥在这场争议后也高度关注，地方规划机构与民间团体提出报告，主张在 I-294 导入浮动收费围篱（cordon），多方舆论与官员，包括 Mayor Brandon Johnson，都表示芝加哥应当「探索」此制度。
两城情况并不完全可直接对照。芝加哥的拥堵核心在于通往市中心的快速道路，而非 Loop 内部，且该核心区的疫情前活力仍难恢复；到 2025 年底，超过四分之一（more than one in four）的可用商铺仍空置，Loop 商业物业价值也下跌 7.2%。相比之下，纽约于 2025 年收取了 5.5 亿美元（$550 million）通行费，并据此发行 150 亿美元（$15 billion）交通债券，进一步支撑道路与公共运输改善。芝加哥目前已对部分高拥堵区域的叫车服务加收 1.5 美元附加费，并有研究指出，即使郊区驾驶未进入市区，收费仍可缩短其行车时间；该市高速公路仍是全美最慢路段之一。
2025 年芝加哥大众运输财政危机因 Springfield 通过一项每年 15 亿美元（$1.5 billion）的稳定拨款安排而暂时缓解，政治压力下降后，政策重心转向基础设施长期重建需求。若推行道路收费，未来可能更偏向管理车道或特定干道（如 I-55、I-90、Eisenhower 快速道路、I-294、North Lake Shore Drive）而非单一 CBD 围篱。这些道路多建于 1950–60 年代，面临更新压力，同时电动车普及与旧式油车退场使油税收入下滑。美国联邦审批仍是关键，Value Pricing Pilot 已有 10 个州参与，但若缺少具体像 Kathy Hochul、Andrew Cuomo 或 Ken Livingstone 式的倡议者，芝加哥政策落地仍不会快速发生。
New York City became the first city in North America to implement congestion pricing about a year ago, charging vehicles $9 on weekdays to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street. The policy is credited with improving air quality and smoothing traffic, yet it also sparked a state-federal clash, with Governor Kathy Hochul defending it while President Donald Trump repeatedly promised to end it. Chicago watched closely, and civic groups and planning agencies later proposed a fluctuating toll cordon on I-294; coverage and officials, including Mayor Brandon Johnson, publicly said the city should explore congestion pricing.
The two cities are not perfect matches. Chicago’s main congestion is on expressways feeding downtown rather than within the Loop, and downtown recovery remains weak: by the end of 2025, more than one in four available retail spaces were still vacant, and Loop commercial property values had fallen 7.2%. By contrast, New York’s 2025 revenues reached $550 million, allowing the city to issue $15 billion in transit bonds. Chicago already applies a $1.50 surcharge for some ride-hail trips in high-traffic zones, and an academic study suggests suburban trips can still speed up even without downtown travel. Its highways also remain among the slowest bottlenecks in the United States.
The immediate Chicago trigger faded after Springfield passed a bill providing $1.5 billion in recurring annual revenue for transit, reducing the acute budget scare. Attention is therefore shifting from a pure downtown cordon toward managed-lane and highway tolling options on routes such as I-55, I-90, the Eisenhower Expressway, I-294, and North Lake Shore Drive. Most of these facilities date from the 1950s and 1960s and need major rebuilding just as fuel-tax revenue declines with EV adoption and the retirement of older gas vehicles. Federal approval remains a hard constraint: the Value Pricing Pilot includes 10 participating states, and lawmakers may need to amend legal frameworks, yet progress is likely to be gradual without a high-profile political champion similar to Kathy Hochul, Andrew Cuomo, or Ken Livingstone.