As of this past midnight, Congestion pricing is in effect in the southern part of Manhattan, below 60th St. During peak hours, The additional toll for most drivers of private passenger cars will be nine dollars.
The stated goals of this program are to reduce congestion in the central business district, and to use the toll monies To fund needed mass transit infrastructure work. If these Two things happen – that congestion is reduced, and that all the money is efficiently, used for transit infrastructure, then I’m for it.
You would never know that anyone is in favor of it if you listen to the New York Post and WABC AM talk radio. They’ve criticized congestion pricing endlessly.
I think that any normal person Who works normal hours and who drives into Manhattan every day is probably a complete fool. I’ve driven into Manhattan during peak hours a few times, it is no fun at all.
But for some – medical workers, and first responders who work Unpredictable hours, Or those blue collar workers who live in places like Northeast Pennsylvania that don’t have good transit options, The additional $45 a week toll will bite hard.
I think that similar congestion pricing plans have worked fairly well in places like London, and in the well run city of Singapore. Let’s See this scheme in New York really does what it’s supposed to do.
3 comments:
This is a twofold problem. Not only as you spell out the cost penalty to those that have no choice, but the safety issue. One of the main objectives of this penalty is to force more people onto public transit.
You ride it everyday Phantom, has the El/Subway system become safer in the last 4 years, or considerably more violent?
I trust your opinion on this, because I know you actually do use it as your necessary everyday mode of transportation. Being from one of the only other cities in the country that has a full coverage 24/7 transit system I also understand the necessity and convenience of having one.
We see the subway attacks on the news daily, as a rider I would appreciate your views on the current level of safety.
I think that there have been more violent incidents over the past few years. I would place the blame for this on the city and state Democratic officials ( Republicans have no power in this state ), because Of things like “bail reform”, Making it hard to involuntarily commit, the mentally ill, etc., and other things. we have a bad mayor, a bad governor, bad district attorneys, and a bad legislature.
That having been said, the rate of violent incident remains fairly low, certainly lower than it was in the 1960s or 1970s. There have of course been terrible incident recently I’ll people being set on fire, pushed in front of trains, etc. and no one should look away from that. I bet the number of murders and violet incidents for 2024 are fairly low, but you can’t look away from the terrible incidents
I still have no fear taking the subway at any hour, but I imagine that I do the same things that you would do – keeping an eye on the people around me, and staying away from the edge of the platform when the train is coming in, etc. The same thing that I would do if I was taking the train in London or any other place.
That's what I thought. I rode the Subway in Philly 24/7 and there was also nowhere I wouldn't walk. Both city's have always had a certain level of violence, you just have to keep your eyes open.
Hope your Holiday's were good Phantom.
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