Congestion is other people
The New York City commission formed to study congestion pricing has made its recommendation, to positive reviews. It’s mostly like Mayor Bloomberg’s original proposal, with a few changes: it moves the boundary from 86th Street to 60th Street, adds the FDR drive and West Side Highway/West Street to the toll zone, removes a parking tax exemption (parking is definitely not something that needs tax incentives) and makes a few pricing tweaks. It also charges only for cars entering the zone, not for moving about within the zone, meaning cameras need only be stationed at the entrances rather than everywhere, reducing expense and privacy concerns. Overall, a good plan.
Among Streetsblog commenters, most of whom support the plan as one would expect, there are several fascinating comments from occasional drivers who, while sometimes supporting the charge, insist that it’s unfair for the plan to charge them for whatever particular activities they drive for, since they aren’t the ones contributing to the congestion.
Why are they taking away the Manhattan resident parking tax exemption? I own a car … and only use it to LEAVE the city, and almost always only on weekends. The terrible congestion is caused by vehicles that enter the congested area from outside, usually with Jersey plates, not by people who live here.
Who introduced the idea of tolling the east and west side highways? I totally missed that during the weeks of counter-proposals. One of the few trips I use my car for is to visit family in north Jersey. If I go over the Brooklyn Bridge, south on the FDR, under the battery and then north to one of the tunnels, am I contributing to “congestion?” If not, why am I being tolled? I was prepared to drive a longer, less direct route as part of my civic duty; tolls changes the whole equation.
I’m reminded of a cartoon I once saw, but can’t find, that portrayed a driver on a crowded road, angry that people don’t take the train. Of course, the driver wasn’t taking the train either. And it’s easy to think that one’s own driving doesn’t cause the congestion, but in fact every bit contributes. As one commenter responded to the person who just uses his car to leave the city, “If you use your car to leave, you are using it to come back in also. Sorry.” As for the second commenter, if he’s taking the trips outside working hours, he won’t pay; besides, having people take circuitous routes to avoid tolls, while inevitable in some cases, creates extra pollution reducing the benefit of the chrage.