4 ms·
The freedom of travel now being open to all, you declare 'Tax the poor! They're clogging up the roads.'? If anything I see this as a remarkable step forward fo
by donatj 9y ago
The freedom of travel now being open to all, you declare 'Tax the poor! They're clogging up the roads.'?
If anything I see this as a remarkable step forward for equality.
- Eridrus 9y agoI see your point about taking the poor, but when a good is free, demand often outstrips supply, and when we're talking about city congestion, expanding supply is usually impossible, so the natural thing to do in a capitalist society is to increase the price. I think congestion pricing in NYC is inevitable, I just hope we also get more funding and competent management and contracting reform for public transport.
- arcticbull 9y agoWhy shouldn't cars be a premium product? Buses and subways are so much more efficient, and if Europe or Hong Kong is anything to go by, they can be nice, clean and faster than driving. If people want to spend the extra money to drive by themselves that is a luxury not a right, and we should be open to charging it accordingly. I feel ridesharing services have a place, but less so than then Zipcar. Lastly, I don't think that it's fair to call this a step forward for equality, as free parking throughout town is a tax on everyone who doesn't own a vehicle, or takes public transit, paid out to those wealthy enough to afford cars and their own parking spots at home.
- IntronExon 9y agoWhen Parisian subways show up in NYC, then make your argument about shafting the poor because you’re currently not one of them.
- TheCoelacanth 9y agoNYC has fantastic transit. Maybe not as good as Paris, but that is an extremely high bar to meet. Poor people already don't drive in NYC because it is already too expensive for them, so it is disingenuous to suggest that they are being shafted by making it more expensive.
- IntronExon 9y agoThe chief of the MTA doesn’t agree with you. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/20/nyregion/subways-new-york-lhota-mta.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/20/nyregion/subways-new-york...