Traffic in Midtown and lower Manhattan was down nearly 8% after the first full week of congestion tolling, according to preliminary traffic data released Monday by the MTA.

NEW YORK (AP) — A new toll on drivers entering the core of Manhattan brought modest but measurable traffic reductions to New York City’s heavily-gridlocked streets in its first week of operation, according to preliminary data released Monday by the state’s transit authority.

New York City’s congestion pricing is the first of its kind in the United States. Yet congestion pricing has been implemented in cities across the globe for decades, including in Singapore since the 1970s, London since 2003 and Stockholm since 2007.

Preliminary data from the first week of New York City's highly debated congestion pricing program shows the country's first plan of its kind is working, officials said.

With the first week of New York’s Congestion Pricing toll in the books, commuters are reaping a reward, spending less time in traffic in exchange for their $9 toll to enter lower Manhattan, said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Data from the first week of New York City’s congestion pricing shows the policy brought a small but noticeable dip in traffic in Manhattan.