1. The overwhelming majority of outerboro working class people are not driving in NYC.
Only about 30% of NYCers even own cars.
2. This only impacts a small part of Manhattan and for certain hours in the day. The only thing it does is encourages those who can move their travel away from peak hours to do so. This will greatly help all the people driving in as well.
3. This will greatly save many lives through reduced pollution and reduced car crashes.
4. This will help bus services etc which service far more working class people from the outer boros than private cars.
5. Congestion pricing has worked very well and been expanded everywhere it’s tried. There’s no evidence of it hurting working class people anywhere. And the parts of Manhattan this affects might be the most densely populated in terms of public transport.
2. This is no longer true, the plan is tolling individuals driving into that area 24 hours a day, and from 5AM-9PM at the full rate.
5. Just because Manhattan has public transit doesn’t mean they’re coming from a neighborhood with accessible public transit. Converting a short drive into a 2 hour each way trip is wrong no matter how poor the person.
> There will also be discounts for low-incomes motorists (below $50,000 per year) who need the car to get around. However, as a 2022 study pointed out, most drivers who enter Manhattan have medium or high incomes, meaning only 4% of drivers will receive a discount
I read this as "96% of drivers will be fine." Do you have other information to add here? Would be interested if so.
Doesn't car ownership in NYC break households, between massive parking costs, high insurance, gas, idling in traffic, plus normal maintenance? I'm curious where using a car actually becomes a better deal given the transit options here. I'm sure there's instances, but it's hard to envision. Living way on the edge of an outer borough but working in the middle of Manhattan?
Simple, don't drive to Manhattan. If you're truly working class you won't have a car anyway you'll be taking the excellent public transit infrastructure.
They should jack the price to >$50. Anyone paying $8000/no for a 1bd in Manhattan can afford an extra 50*30=$1500 for the privilege of congesting everyone else's roads.
You're right about the majority of people who live in outer boroughs.
But my mind went to one demographic in particular -- Halal food carts. Those folks usually live in Queens and they have to haul their carts into Manhattan (unless I'm wrong about that).
My alternative are things that, unfortunately, would never fly politically:
1) Regulate urban business density in coastal cities and cities more generally limited by water.
2) More multi-core metropolises where the highest <edit: business> density is either spread out entirely, or spread to multiple districts sufficiently far away from each other.
Edit: The comment by hamandcheese showed I had forgotten this important modifier for point 2.
Urban density doesn't cause the issue of traffic. The issue of traffic is caused by cars. Urban density allows public transportation, the only current viable alternative, to be financially sound on a large scale.
Yes lived, parked and drove in downtown NYC for 6 years. 4/5 people parking on the streets own or work in local businesses. Throwing a $350-$450/mo congestion tax their way is bs. They’re keeping the city running with their vehicles, not hurting it.
Only about 30% of NYCers even own cars.
2. This only impacts a small part of Manhattan and for certain hours in the day. The only thing it does is encourages those who can move their travel away from peak hours to do so. This will greatly help all the people driving in as well.
3. This will greatly save many lives through reduced pollution and reduced car crashes.
4. This will help bus services etc which service far more working class people from the outer boros than private cars.
5. Congestion pricing has worked very well and been expanded everywhere it’s tried. There’s no evidence of it hurting working class people anywhere. And the parts of Manhattan this affects might be the most densely populated in terms of public transport.