DePaul University professor and transportation expert Joe Schwieterman said Chicago needs to take a look at what New York is doing with congestion pricing.

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.

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 countdown to congestion pricing in New York City is over. Drivers now must pay a toll to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street.

The congestion zone covers an area south of central park, taking in well known sites such as the Empire State Building, Times Square and the financial district around Wall Street.

Traffic in the metro area is the second-worst in the world, tied with New York City, according to a report released Monday by the traffic data analytics firm INRIX.