According to the MTA, inbound trips from the Hudson and East Rivers were 10 to 30 percent faster than last year. Those driving in the congestion relief zone (all local streets below 59th) saw travel time improvements as high as 59 percent during afternoon peak hours, the MTA said.

The New York City tolling program began on Jan. 5 after defying obstacles for decades. A move to stop it would likely touch off a legal battle between the state and federal government.

The head of the MTA said he remained optimistic that President Donald Trump would not repeal New York’s congestion pricing program, even as the new president had conversations with Gov. Kathy Hochul in recent days about the plan’s future.

First, Lieber said it could spook bond buyers in red states, like Florida and Texas, where tolling programs depend on the same kind of federal approval congestion pricing does. “If the bondholders think that this might be taken apart on a moment’s notice,