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The controversy over congestion pricing continues as the group deciding exactly how much drivers will pay to go below 60th Street met Thursday afternoon. Reporter Lauren Glassberg has the story.
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No doubt the litigation between the states will reach the Supreme Court of the United States.
Everyone’s a critic.
Especially on Broadway.
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Do you think they’ll reach an agreement that everyone will be happy with?
Nope -
What is there to settle? People from Jersey shouldn’t be dictating to us what our policy’s should be. They should focus on expanding NJT & PATH instead of complaining that they cant drive here for free anymore.
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These are people that are anti public transit.
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I think we should be a bit more careful. While I strongly favor the congestion pricing plan, there will be folks from Jersey who are badly impacted. Not everyone across the Hudson is near mass transit. And if they are, much of it is terribly run at the moment. NJT is often a joke. So let’s have at least a scintilla of empathy with the anger that has arisen over the congestion pricing scheme. It’s going to hurt those away from transit options and without a lot of cash. That doesn’t mean it should be halted. Maybe it means that the system should be means tested to some degree if it’s possible to do so. If it is too complex to pull that off, I think we still need to implement the plan.
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They’re freeloaders, too. Streets, bridges, tunnels, on-street parking, traffic cops and first responders aren’t cheap but these out of state commuters expect another state’s taxpayers to subsidize those services for them.
But what should we really expect? A century of car-centric urban planning will warp your sense of reality.
^^ And of course we should have empathy for people who are legitimately financially impacted. That’s what all of the exemptions are for.
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Agreed. Car culture is the long term issue in urban areas all across the country. But given where we are I can’t agree that freeloaders is a proper description of the issues. Gradual dismantling of some of the worst features of car culture can’t be done overnight and needs to be undertaken with some degree of understanding about who is helped and hurt. As a Manhattanite I’d love to cut car traffic, but that spigot will take a lot time, effort, and gobs of money to control. That we are just starting to recognize the severity of the issues and spend more national funds on mass transit and intercity trains means that the whole solution will not come soon.
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Just wondering, all the discussion is on NJ. Is there pushback coming from Long Island, upstate NY and Connecticut?
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Ok hypothetically speaking lets say someone drives to downtown because they dont live near transit in Jersey and are financially strapped, they pay for gas, tolls, parking…if they can afford that they can afford to park near a NJT or PATH station and take the train with the money saved on paying the toll.
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Those who drive in to Manhattan tend to have options and can afford too because it’s already quite expensive to come into the city with a car and find parking. They just don’t want to deal with the public on mass transit and don’t want to subsidize it in any way.
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^ This. Back when I was still working there were ladies from NJ and SI that took transit and one that drove every day. All the transit ladies said how much $ they saved using transit vs tolls gas and parking. They all had cars but usually did not use them for work so all this talk about expense is just whining.