Originally published at: New York City taking more steps toward congestion pricing plan | Boing Boing
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More cities with busy and congested downtown cores should do this. Private automobiles are one of the primary enemies of healthy urban life, going back to the days of Robert Moses.
The argument that this will impact regular-Joe suburbanite commuters is complete BS in NYC, where regional and local public transit is available to all and has been for more than half a century. If you’re driving into Manhattan for work five days a week you’re spending at least $1000/month on parking (unless one is a wealthy executive or real estate developer who gets a reserved spot as part of their compensation package).
I’ll quote former Bogota mayor Gustavo Petro again:
“A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation.”
Also, for those conservatives who like to claim this is more newfangled “wokeness”, anti-congestion measures have been used by municipalities since ancient times.
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I lived in NYC from 1996 to 2006 during the time when London implemented its congestion plan. I was in favor back then and traffic has only gotten worse. Frankly I don’t know why they let private cars south of 96th St. in Manhattan from 6AM-9PM or the like.
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I’m all for it, if they implement it there’s no doubt that it’ll be flawed but there’s a lot of potential for good as far as incentivizing public transportation. My apprehension is if the funds this might generate could be used as a piggy bank for non-public transportation needs, and what does this plan look like for people with less money that absolutely might need to drive in this area?
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Why are the politicians so focused on “sticks” (fines and fares) while there is no movement on “carrots” (free public transit zones, subsidized by large businesses through taxes and incentives)?
I believe that the focus should be on trying to REDUCE automotive trips, and not MONETIZE them like a cash cow.
In the Bay Area there is (partially) a system where large urban employers, for a reduced price provide their employees public transit benefits if there is 100% participation.
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I think the money is intended to go to the MTA… and improving service there would be the carrot. Tho I’ll say (having lived in NYC for almost all of my first 40 years) the transit system is better in coverage than anywhere else, and is simply faster than a car, and now bikes are also with all of the bike lanes that have been built.
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New Jersey’s U.S. senators have joined the fight against New York City’s plan to charge drivers on Manhattan’s busiest streets, arguing that the tolls would unfairly burden suburbanites who must travel into the city for work.
So, white flight drained the cities of revenue and crashed their infrastructure; now the suburbanites are bleating about congestion charges? 
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Yeah, this isn’t a real thing as @gracchus points out. It’s a manufactured excuse to make sure that the wealthy can have their driver drop them at the front door of their building.
Nor this. Other than cabs/Uber and delivery vehicles, no one “needs” to drive in Manhattan who isn’t well-heeled. It’s impractical, extraordinarily expensive and the slowest way to commute especially East/West. The only people driving cars in this part of Manhattan are people with private garages in their building. There’s essentially no municipal parking you can safely park at for more than a few hours and definitely not overnight.
There has been massive movement since I lived there ca. 20 years ago. When I lived there Critical Mass cyclists were being mowed down, now there are hardened bike lanes. You used to be able to drive through Time Square and a few other tourist and pedestrian hotspots. Now the streets are permanently blocked to traffic which has created lovely islands of safe walking and dining. There have been some substantial upgrades to the subway system that has made it even easier for Outer borough and NJ/Connecticut/Westchester dwellers to get in and out of town.
This isn’t so much about monetizing, but reducing traffic by making it financially unrealistic to double-park a delivery truck left idling. I worked for a piano company that would constantly do this and would easily bring 2-3 vehicles into the center of the city 2-3 times per day each because it was convenient. Currently, the small risk of a ticket isn’t nearly enough to prevent this, but a toll every time they cross 60th St certainly would.
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He got a promotion.
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