There's a new toll I'll have to pay to drive anywhere.
There's a new toll I'll have to pay to drive anywhere.
It'll cost $9 each time. They're raising money for the mass transit system by charging specifically those people who don't use the mass transit system and that feels really unfair to me.
Sigh, mass transit will benefit you as well, it means that more people will use it rather than taking the car, thus reducing traffic in general.
Taxes are also often used to change behaviors in the population, by adding taxes like these, cities have been known to try and reduce pollution and congestion making the area less harmful.
TL;DR: Congestion charges are annoying, but in the end will benefit you as well.
You live in literally the best transit area in the entire nation. One of the best in the world.
Take Transit. You are lucky enough to be in one of the areas where you aren't forced to drive. You are incredibly privileged to live there, and are able to take transit to pretty much wherever you like.
Plus it's lower Manhattan. You said you live inside the congestion zone, which means lets be real, this is a drop in the bucket compared to actually driving there. Just your car you probably pay for storage, some of the highest gas in the country, and the highest insurance in the country, and you're still complaining that there's a slight tax now because you are choosing not to take the incredibly convenient, regular, and world renown subway system?
Even in NYC (where driving is particularly slow and mass transit is particularly well developed) it's still usually significantly faster to drive than it is to take mass transit unless you're traveling within Manhattan or between two stops of the same express train. The trips I frequently take are about twice as fast by car as by mass transit, so from my point of view I am forced to take mass transit (when I have nowhere to park at my destination) while people outside the city have the luxury of quickly driving directly from where they are to where they want to be.
I'm not going to get into my opinion of how pleasant (or not) taking mass transit is compared to driving, because that's subjective. However, I will note that according to the MTA's own survey, a little over half of the people who do take mass transit are dissatisfied by it.
Mass transit is necessary here because the city has an old layout not designed for cars and so it wouldn't be able to function if everyone had to drive. That doesn't imply that mass transit is pleasant or convenient. It's just often the only option.
It's because people have more rights to clean air and lower cancer rates then you do to driving a car. Paris did the congestion pricing and it literally made the city a cleaner and healthy place to live. That is what you should want for Manhattan and if you don't there are plenty of other cities that will still prioritize cars. NYC needs to be a post-car city.
Mass transit is necessary here because the city has an old layout not designed for cars and so it wouldn't be able to function if everyone had to drive.
Cities shouldn't be designed for cars. They should be designed for people. I get it. They've added a tax and that's inconvenient. I agree.
I live in a European city with a medieval layout. I'm happy they started banning cars. Our city is more liveable without than with cars.
Move to Houston then where the city was designed for the car and you can drive in traffic every day and park in massive parking structures whenever you like. It's a very odd opinion that you choose to live in the only city that focuses on people and mass transit in this country, and complain that one of the best things about it is the one thing that is unique. Go live in Texas if you like driving. Go live in LA and drive on the 5 where cars were at the center of their city planning. Sounds like your dream. You can have 20 lanes of constant traffic, 30 story tall parking garages, just like you dream of.
You see the problem with those cities is that everyone drives. It's not a privilege to drive in those cities, it's not reserved for those who can afford it, so everyone is forced to drive, and then all of a sudden cars are everywhere. You want your cake and eat it too. Maybe that's why you're upset about the tax, because that bar has been raised even higher now, and you may be under it. I guarantee the actual rich will be paying it easily.
You're costing society by driving your private vehicle at all let alone in downtown manhattan. The least you could do for all of the lung cancer, asthma, and road fatalities you're contributing to is pay some money.
I'm glad you mentioned that. It primarily targets congestion, but one of the real costs of congestion is pollution. They complain it's not fair. Is it fair that people walking don't get clean air because of constant congestion? Is it fair that they want to eat outside or take a walk and have to smell exhaust? It's also a tax on you polluting
Protip: You could avoid the $9 toll by using the mass transit.
More mass transit = fewer people in cars = better driving experience for people in cars (you).
I won't blame you for preferring to drive a car; the US is practically built for cars, and even what little public transit you have access to is of poor quality compared to what you can find in the likes of Germany and Hong Kong. And people love to complain about Germany's Deutsche Bahn.
NYC is trying to solve the issue of traffic congestion. You're stuck in that rush hour traffic? Sorry, but you are the traffic. Deterring drivers from driving into the city is the whole point. It is supposed to suck for you, but it will make the locals happier since they'd have less noise pollution, air pollution, more walkable areas, and faster emergency response times.
To be fair, Deutsche Bahn is an actual pile of shit, thats why people love complaining. Last time my train ran less than 5min late mustve been around 2005.
Oh I know; I've watched Jet Lag.
Berlin's bus and metro system is pretty sick, though, ngl.
I believe OP is talking about NYC's Congestion Pricing.
Yeah, I live inside the congestion pricing zone.
I did notice this news article that mentions:
New Yorkers who live within the Congestion Relief Zone will not be charged to drive or park around the area. They will only be charged once they leave and cross back into the zone.
good
I once knew someone who commuted into NYC each day by rail -- drove to the train station, and went from there. Can move out of NYC and commute in, I suppose. Housing will probably be cheaper. Was a long commute.
that feels really unfair to me.
Well, I mean, the real limited resource that they're charging for is gonna be the available road space, as they're going to be trying to reduce traffic load, I expect, as the road network is just overloaded. I don't know if there'd be a realistic alternative to provide much more road space in Manhattan with the funds. Like, where would you put it? They'd have to bulldoze tall buildings or something.