4 ms·

Living in NYC, I haven't driven a car in 3 years and haven't even renewed my driver license for 2. I still manage to go hiking during summer weekends and skiing

Living in NYC, I haven't driven a car in 3 years and haven't even renewed my driver license for 2. I still manage to go hiking during summer weekends and skiing during the winter. Accessibility really isn't the issue. I think it's optics more than anything. NYC residents pay a ton in taxes and get little back. Our state taxes get moved upstate and our federal taxes go to poor states. I really think it's just trying to put pressure on our representatives to be a bit more "selfish" as to what happens with our taxes.

beezle 9y ago
Not to be flip, but those who live in the nyc (ny) burbs subsidize your mass transit, as do businesses in the burbs. Though dated, a 2011 Rockefeller Institute study claimed nyc paid out 5% more than it got back to the rest of the state while the burbs paid out 10% more. Per capita, they claimed nyc paid out $34 more while the burbs paid out $311 more). Income based financing schemes almost always fail in nonhomogeneous environments to be 'fair.'
- lloyd-christmas 9y ago
  > Not to be flip I grew up in Scarsdale, your comments definitely aren't foreign to me. > those who live in the nyc (ny) burbs subsidize your mass transit The problem I see with this is that I struggle to consider it "your" mass transit. Both the MTA and Metro North are owned by the state. One of them has 300k daily riders, the other has 5.5m daily riders. 150k of those MN riders end up in the city everyday, so both groups are using state owned products, one group is potentially using BOTH (I always did when I commuted from Westchester to the financial district). The 4 commuter lines combined (NJTransit, PATH, LIRR, Metro North) have 1/3 the total daily ridership of the subway, but get almost double the amount of subsidies from state coffers. Growing up, I can count the number of parents who didn't commute to the city on both hands. Being wealthy enough to live in the suburbs doesn't mean your money is generated there. The median income in Scarsdale is $250k. I doubt that Scarsdale Flowers is the one lifting that average, so the people being taxed for it are the ones who actually use it anyway. I realize this is only one of the suburbs, but it's the one I'm personally familiar with. > Income based financing schemes almost always fail in nonhomogeneous environments to be 'fair.' I'm definitely not arguing for it. In fact, I usually argue against it. I'm just pointing out why I think the argument is being made, given that the subway isn't in as bad shape as the news makes it sound.
- locopati 9y ago
  where do folks in the burbs often work? the city (Manhattan's daytime population is 6m - it's residential population is 1.6m or so) how do they get around in the city? public transportation there's no us and them here
- chimeracoder 9y ago
  > Not to be flip, but those who live in the nyc (ny) burbs subsidize your mass transit, as do businesses in the burbs. The MTA spends a disproportionate amount of money on the MetroNorth and LIRR, compared to its ridership. In terms of mass transit specifically, it's the city that's subsidizing the suburbs, not the other way around.

beezle 9y ago

Not to be flip, but those who live in the nyc (ny) burbs subsidize your mass transit, as do businesses in the burbs. Though dated, a 2011 Rockefeller Institute study claimed nyc paid out 5% more than it got back to the rest of the state while the burbs paid out 10% more. Per capita, they claimed nyc paid out $34 more while the burbs paid out $311 more). Income based financing schemes almost always fail in nonhomogeneous environments to be 'fair.'

lloyd-christmas 9y ago
> Not to be flip I grew up in Scarsdale, your comments definitely aren't foreign to me. > those who live in the nyc (ny) burbs subsidize your mass transit The problem I see with this is that I struggle to consider it "your" mass transit. Both the MTA and Metro North are owned by the state. One of them has 300k daily riders, the other has 5.5m daily riders. 150k of those MN riders end up in the city everyday, so both groups are using state owned products, one group is potentially using BOTH (I always did when I commuted from Westchester to the financial district). The 4 commuter lines combined (NJTransit, PATH, LIRR, Metro North) have 1/3 the total daily ridership of the subway, but get almost double the amount of subsidies from state coffers. Growing up, I can count the number of parents who didn't commute to the city on both hands. Being wealthy enough to live in the suburbs doesn't mean your money is generated there. The median income in Scarsdale is $250k. I doubt that Scarsdale Flowers is the one lifting that average, so the people being taxed for it are the ones who actually use it anyway. I realize this is only one of the suburbs, but it's the one I'm personally familiar with. > Income based financing schemes almost always fail in nonhomogeneous environments to be 'fair.' I'm definitely not arguing for it. In fact, I usually argue against it. I'm just pointing out why I think the argument is being made, given that the subway isn't in as bad shape as the news makes it sound.
locopati 9y ago
where do folks in the burbs often work? the city (Manhattan's daytime population is 6m - it's residential population is 1.6m or so) how do they get around in the city? public transportation there's no us and them here
chimeracoder 9y ago
> Not to be flip, but those who live in the nyc (ny) burbs subsidize your mass transit, as do businesses in the burbs. The MTA spends a disproportionate amount of money on the MetroNorth and LIRR, compared to its ridership. In terms of mass transit specifically, it's the city that's subsidizing the suburbs, not the other way around.