[model-15-DAV]

Other major cities must start making significant headway in this direction. As a New Yorker, I am very interested in getting rid of all cars in NYC.

NYC (Specifically, Governor Hochul) has "indefinitely paused" the rollout of a new congestion pricing system for cars in Manhattan, which was a step in the right direction perhaps, but certainly not a solution by any means.

Following Paris' lead and removing parking spaces, streets, and improving more sustainable transit is the only way forward if we want to start mitigating climate instability.

NYC I feel is one of the few (if only!) cities in America that has the ability to get rid of all private cars within 10 years. We could also become a cyclists' paradise! We need to give the politicians a mandate to accomplish this or they will flail about as always until we all get swallowed up by a tsunami or something.

[sleepydog]

I'd love to see more sidewalk and less road here. The pandemic-induced trend of sidewalk/street seating at cafes and restaurants and closed streets (like St. Marks in manhattan and Vanderbilt in Brooklyn) really make the spring/summer/fall here a joy, but it's silly that we have to sit in little huts in former parking spaces. Make it official and permanent. NYC sidewalks are wide as for America, but pretty narrow compared to the rest of the world.

I was in Berlin recently, and some of the more posh neighborhoods have enormous sidewalks, full of people walking, or sipping espresso and chatting. I'm jealous!

[mtalantikite]

I'm really bummed that they canceled congestion pricing. We almost did the right thing for the city and the planet, and of course at the last minute some politicians have to go and fuck it up. They're really the worst.

[lnxg33k1]

I also am against policies that only allow rich to do stuff, annoyed by this idea that rich can always buy their way out of things, if there’s a problem with cars then just ban it for all

[mtalantikite]

I wouldn’t be opposed to making tolls and fines income based, like some Nordic countries.

I once was finishing up eating at Astro diner (iirc) on 55th and 6th and some guy in a lambo double parked across the street on 6th, blocking traffic, and just left it there. Cops came pretty quickly and were ticketing it, but there’s no way the person driving a $400k car cares about a $100 ticket. When we walked out they were still trying to figure out what to do, as they weren’t even sure a tow company would come to take it.

[Eddy_Viscosity2]

Ironically, its the rich who mostly likely put the pressure on to kill this bill.

[ecshafer]

I don't think NYC is capable of getting rid of all cars. Maybe Manhattan. But there are five boroughs. Queens, most of Brookyln, and Staten Island aren't quite as easy to live in without a car. If you live in Bayridge and work in Bayonne as a carpenter, its sure a hell of a lot easier with a car.

[jkmcf]

I think a happy compromise would be

1. Ban all non-electric vehicles (because noise and pollution)

2. Allow electric taxis/ride share vehicles

3. Convert all reasonable roads to one-way, half for vehicles half for bicycles and other small transportation options (I’m thinking scooters, Segways, and such)

4. Remaining roads for bicycles and other small vehicles

What do y’all thinking of bringing back horse drawn carriages?

[jszymborski]

I think large trucks and SUVs should not be legal to drive through the city without a valid business permit. Special temporary permits can he granted to newly purchased vehicles.

Large vehicles are a safety hazard to pedestrians, cyclists, and other motorists in smaller cars. They take more parking space, and consume more gas/electricity.

Asia is full of trucks and vans that are smaller than most four door cars in NA... There's really no reasonable reason for someone to be driving a vehicle the size of an F-150 in the city unless it's being used for construction IMHO.

In Montreal, areas with permitted parking charge by e.g. the weight of the vehicle, the size of a vehicles engine, or the length of the vehicle (it changes by borough/year). It's an OK proxy for big cars, but people still are willing to pay it.

We got rid of horse drawn carriages in Montreal relatively recently for animal cruelty reasons.