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NYC has 0.6 vehicles per household, and in Manhattan it’s closer to 0.25. This isn’t LA (1.6) or even Chicago (1.0). Congestion pricing is aimed at those who dr

NYC has 0.6 vehicles per household, and in Manhattan it’s closer to 0.25. This isn’t LA (1.6) or even Chicago (1.0). Congestion pricing is aimed at those who drive into the city - often with solid public transportation alternatives. The revenue goes toward improving transit—something the vast majority actually use. These upgrades take time. Six months of data means very little in a system this complex. If you're offering deep takes on this, it’s only fair to say whether you actually live in NYC or nearby. Most of the loudest critics seem disconnected from the day-to-day reality of getting around here.

PaulHoule 1y ago
To be fair I have a friend who lives in Brooklyn who thinks congestion pricing is a scam and this is a person of moderate means who has a car. She's inclined to blame traffic problems on Uber. One point she has which is good is that the transit system is not good if you're going perpendicular to the major routes. A 20 minute car ride from Queens to the Bronx turns into an hour and 30 minutes on transit. Of course, it does take funding to improve the service and NYC has a hard time of it because funding for the subway is not controlled by NYC but rather by the state so a lot of upstaters like me who just ride it a few times a year or don't ride it at all have a say in it.
- meagher 1y ago
  Does she pay for parking or benefit from the over 2M free parking spots?
- donohoe 1y ago
  Your friend’s frustration is understandable, but calling congestion pricing a scam ignores the actual problem it's solving: too many cars in a dense area where most people don’t drive. Blaming Uber/Lyft is a distraction. Congestion existed long before it, and they’re being regulated too. As for the Queens-to-Bronx example, it’s a fair critique of the transit network, but it’s not even relevant to the congestion zone. Congestion pricing targets the lower core of Manhattan, not cross-borough driving. If anything, the funds raised could eventually help fix exactly those kinds of transit gaps. For background: I live in Brooklyn and work in Downtown Manhattan (in congestion zone). I take the subway. I used to own a car but sold it over 10 years ago because the public transportation made it obsolete. I don't bike.

PaulHoule 1y ago

To be fair I have a friend who lives in Brooklyn who thinks congestion pricing is a scam and this is a person of moderate means who has a car. She's inclined to blame traffic problems on Uber. One point she has which is good is that the transit system is not good if you're going perpendicular to the major routes. A 20 minute car ride from Queens to the Bronx turns into an hour and 30 minutes on transit. Of course, it does take funding to improve the service and NYC has a hard time of it because funding for the subway is not controlled by NYC but rather by the state so a lot of upstaters like me who just ride it a few times a year or don't ride it at all have a say in it.

meagher 1y ago
Does she pay for parking or benefit from the over 2M free parking spots?
donohoe 1y ago
Your friend’s frustration is understandable, but calling congestion pricing a scam ignores the actual problem it's solving: too many cars in a dense area where most people don’t drive. Blaming Uber/Lyft is a distraction. Congestion existed long before it, and they’re being regulated too. As for the Queens-to-Bronx example, it’s a fair critique of the transit network, but it’s not even relevant to the congestion zone. Congestion pricing targets the lower core of Manhattan, not cross-borough driving. If anything, the funds raised could eventually help fix exactly those kinds of transit gaps. For background: I live in Brooklyn and work in Downtown Manhattan (in congestion zone). I take the subway. I used to own a car but sold it over 10 years ago because the public transportation made it obsolete. I don't bike.