Posted on 06/27/2023 4:24:45 PM PDT by george76
Take the bus and like it, plebes!
New York City has been working on a highly controversial plan to reduce traffic in Manhattan for a couple of years now. It would involve imposing very expensive tolls for anyone traveling into and out of the city. They believe that this would reduce congestion on the streets and bridges while raising funds for other priorities. The plan has been held up while federal agencies reviewed it to see if it’s even legal, but this week the city received preliminary federal approval (of course) and it looks like they may be moving forward with it. And plenty of people are not happy about this at all. (AP)
New York has received a critical federal approval for its first-in-the-nation plan to charge big tolls to drive into the most visited parts of Manhattan, part of an effort to reduce traffic, improve air quality and raise funds for the city’s public transit system.
The program could begin as soon as the spring of 2024, bringing New York City into line with places like London, Singapore, and Stockholm that have implemented similar tolling programs for highly congested business districts.
Under one of several tolling scenarios under consideration, drivers could be charged as much as $23 a day to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street, with the exact amount still to be decided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is overseeing the long-stalled plan.
The real-world impacts of a scheme such as this will be far different from what’s being advertised. The city claims that the tolls will reduce traffic congestion and encourage more people to use public transportation. And since the vast majority of cars are still not electric, they get to toss “carbon emissions reduction” into the mix for some additional climate change goodness.
Some of the stated goals actually would be achieved if this plan is put in place. There would be less traffic because working-class people who commute to work in the city would suddenly be paying more than $100 per week just to drive to work and back. That’s a big chunk out of a bartender’s wages. The high cost of living is one of the chief reasons cited by people who are leaving Gotham to move to Florida or other red states, along with high crime rates and other quality-of-life issues. The ones who stay and who can’t afford this toll will be forced onto the buses and subway trains, where God only knows what might happen to them.
Do you know who else might think twice about coming to Manhattan when the prices jump? Tourists. And the city’s tourism traffic is already well below normal and hasn’t recovered from the pandemic lockdowns yet. And that produces a negative impact for all of the businesses and employers in the city.
Of course, there’s one group of people who really won’t notice the change and probably like this idea. That would be all of the Wall Street traders and hedge fund managers who can likely afford to shell out an extra 23 bucks a day without breaking a sweat. They’ll be enjoying a faster, quieter commute in their chauffeured vehicles (that probably aren’t electric either). And they probably won’t even see all of the “little people” who are no longer clogging the roadways.
If New York City really wanted to solve congestion problems, they could have added more lanes to the roads and widened the bridges. Then everyone could get back and forth more easily. But instead, they decided to force the working class into the subways and allow the wealthy to travel in comfort and style.
New York, New York. So nice they say it twice.
Sumptuary laws (from Latin sūmptuāriae lēgēs) are laws that try to regulate consumption. Black's Law Dictionary defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expenditures for apparel, food, furniture, etc." Historically, they were intended to regulate and reinforce social hierarchies and morals through restrictions on clothing, food, and luxury expenditures, often depending on a person's social rank.
Just another reason why leftism is a cancer on humanity.
I see no reason why our culture war cannot be civil.
Only stupid people live in that city now, otherwise known as democrats.
Another step via government to completely track our every m
That would be all of the Wall Street traders and hedge fund managers who can likely afford to shell out an extra 23 bucks a day without breaking a sweat. They’ll be enjoying a faster, quieter commute in their chauffeured vehicles (that probably aren’t electric either). And they probably won’t even see all of the “little people” who are no longer clogging the roadways.
I don’t think that is true.
The wall street firms are beginning to pack it up and move it out.
The author is a moron. He should take a look at an aerial photo of Manhattan below 59th Street (the area that is subject to the "congestion pricing" toll) and tell us where the hell you find the room to add more lanes to the roads and widen the bridges.
I call BS on the headline. The effort is aimed at reducing automobile traffic, not at allowing “only the wealthy” to commute. Sometimes the right has a problem with facts.
Alberta’s Child is right. If an American hasn’t been to Manhattan, they really can’t fathom it. The Southern half of Manhattan has a commuter population of 3 million crammed into about 10 square miles. Los Angeles, for instance, has about half that in about 50 times more land area. I can’t fathom a bartender driving into work in lower Manhattan. No wonder only 22% of Manhattanites even own a car.
Yep. $23 per vehicle visit into Manhattan. Flipping crazy.
Say what? You understand that those struggling to get by, that use a vehicle to get into Manhattan most days, let’s just say 5 days a week, would be paying $115 per week. $460 per month. And that doesn’t cause concern?
Leftists care so much about the less fortunate. 🙄
Where?
If I were struggling to get by and worked in Manhattan there is no way I’d be taking my personal vehicle for commute. That stands for many who work there and are fairly well-to-do. They use public transportation and walk a lot.
“bringing New York City into line with places like London, Singapore, and Stockholm that have implemented similar tolling programs”
Didn’t know that. I do know that there are too many cars in use. Possibly self-driving cars in a computer-controlled road system is a long-term solution.
South
Slowly
I hear you, but what about a delivery company or something along those lines? Small business guy trying to get by, gets hammered with another government tax.
Dim policies only benefit the extreme wealthy and big business.
I don’t think delivery vehicles would be subject to this, many of which are already in Manhattan. If so they would likely just pass the cost along.
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