Driving a Car in Manhattan Could Cost $11 Under Congestion Plan

Post by ng12 » Fri, Jan 19, 2018, 7:26 PM UTC

ars wrote: post #197

rthomas6 wrote: post #42

This is one of the only places in the US where public transportation is kind of good. Many people in NYC don't own a car and don't even know how to drive. It boggles my mind the amount of people complaining about how expensive it is to drive to Manhattan. ...Why did you drive in the first place? Unless you need to carry something large/heavy, there's no real reason to drive there. Just park, take a cab/train there, a…

> Why did you drive in the first place? Unless you need to carry something large/heavy, there's no real reason to drive there The biggest problem with Manhattan is that it's hard to get to the rest of NY without going through Manhattan. If they fixed that, a TON of the traffic would be alleviated.

Post by TheCoelacanth » Fri, Jan 19, 2018, 7:32 PM UTC

rsync wrote: post #145

gamblor956 wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the U.S., a public education is considered a right. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and so the same considerations don't apply. For example, we already charge drivers for the privilege of driving: annual license fees, mandated insurance, gasoline taxes, etc. Congestion fees/taxes are simply an extension of the costs associated with the driving privilege. With respect to schools, we already have a de facto con…

"In the U.S., a public education is considered a right. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and so the same considerations don't apply." I find this conversation very interesting - first, the thought provoking notion from your parent that supporters of congestion pricing invoke a "libertarian but only for this" exception that they wouldn't apply to other goods like schools. Then your (obvious) reply that driving is…

Post by TheCoelacanth » Fri, Jan 19, 2018, 7:50 PM UTC

saas_co_de wrote: post #2

It seems like it would be fairer to privatize the roads entirely and force the people who can actually use them to pay the entire cost. Otherwise poor people are subsidizing roads reserved for the rich that they can't even use.

Post by beisner » Fri, Jan 19, 2018, 7:57 PM UTC

nogridbag wrote: post #124

beisner wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because cars in Manhattan are a blight on livability and safety. There are only a handful of reasons to legitimately have a car in Manhattan; off the top of my head: moving large items, transporting those with mobility issues, getting from specific subway dead zones to other parts, and leaving manhattan altogether. There is an enormous (albeit overloaded and dilapidated) public transit infrastructure allowing people…

Everyone keeps talking about Manhattan, but the GWB bridge serves more than Manhattan. I don't have any numbers to back this up, but I would guess the vast amount of traffic over the bridge serves commuters between Jersey and the other boroughs.

Post by kuschku » Fri, Jan 19, 2018, 7:58 PM UTC

hartator wrote: post #148

rsynnott wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's amazing how habit-forming driving seems to be. A friend was recently talking about a colleague of his who lives right next to a tram stop and works right next to another stop on the same tram line. 20 minute tram journey, tram every five minutes at peak time. And instead they drive an hour to work at rush hour, because they're from a rural area and are used to driving. Makes no sense to me at all...

I think you have to live in big city and have taken public transportation on a daily basis, to understand the frustations, the dalays, the insecurity, the smell, the crowdness, and the freedom reducing of it.