4 ms·
Even though this pushes road use into being more of a transaction I still don't believe that we should think about road use as a pure transaction. Infrastructur
by yellowstuff 9y ago
Even though this pushes road use into being more of a transaction I still don't believe that we should think about road use as a pure transaction. Infrastructure shapes how people live, work and play. Roads that cost $12 to drive will change the city differently than roads that cost $50 to drive on.
Specifically, I'd be worried about driving away tourists and commercial traffic. I doubt a lot of well-off locals would start driving in Manhattan if there were a congestion tax and less traffic, they'd keep taking Uber.
- ghaff 9y agoTourists is probably less of an issue for Manhattan than it would be a lot of places. Sure, there's the family of five from a nearby state that drives into the city for the weekend because the train costs add up for that many people. But, for most, trains, planes, or busses make a lot more sense given parking costs and the fact that driving into New York is pretty much a big pain. I've done it but not when I've had other reasonable options.
- wlesieutre 9y agoEven if we did view normal everyday road use as a transaction, the road infrastructure is critical to other services like police, fire, and ambulance that still make sense to be funded from taxes. If you want to be able to call the police, you're relying on roads being available.
- sp332 9y agoFunding it with a progressive tax makes more sense to me than charging everyone the same flat rate.