April 19, 2007
Do Mayor's 2030 Plans Include Congestion Pricing?
The NY Sun is reporting that Mayor Bloomberg will unveil details of his plan to make New York City sustainable through the year 2030 this Sunday. The announcement, which will coincide with Earth Day, will elaborate more on the plaNYC outline he gave in December. The Sun says that the plan includes more than 100 initiatives, but the most controversial one could be congestion pricing, which Bloomberg's plan is expected to include.
While sources tell The Sun that the mayor's plan is not finalized yet, there are rumors of a $8 peak-time price for driving south of 86th St. in Manhattan. If approved, the money from congestion pricing could be as high as $500 million a year. The plan is also supposed to be similar, yet "more moderate" than London's congestion pricing.
Other items that may make Bloomberg's plan: initiatives for the city's energy and infrastructure, green development, and building emissions. plaNYC addresses three issues that New York City will face by 2030 - an increase of 1 million people, the deterioration of infrastructure, and making the city more environmentally friendly.
A November survey found that New Yorkers could be receptive towards congestion pricing, and maybe foes to congestion pricing have it wrong.
Photo of crazy NYC traffic by anniebee on flickr
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That picture is excellent!
*fingers crossed*
They need to do something to keep the UESers from driving to their jobs in Midtown or having SUVs drive their kids to prep school. Does pricing it at 86th St. mean and SUV dropping a kid at the 92nd St. Y would have to pay? I hope so.
i think congestion pricing might hurt. working in event planning in manhattan i know that our numbers will suffer at events as a result. there are people who drive in from queens, brooklyn, bronx, and inner suburbs. why should someone who can drive here from jackson heights or floral park in 30 minutes take over an hour by public transportation? they wont
a million more people! nyc is seriously going to turn into a new tokyo.
*waves from relatively uncongested chicago.
So the subway stops just above 86th will be packed with commuters parking their cars rather than paying the fee. Meanwhile, all the Bridge traffic on the northern bridges will remain the same, all the useless burning of fuel and spewing of pollution while sitting in congestion will continue. The fee should be for entering Manhattan, period.
I like the idea of Congestion pricing a lot (and agree that it should probably be extended further than 86th). Heck.... I would even support all non-freight traffic being banned in some areas.
However, maybe we should wait until the 2nd ave subway, the # 7 extension, east-side access, and the new NJT tunnel are done?
Also, I would be suggest the consrtuction of large (and inexpensive) park & ride facilities just off of the island in Queens and Brooklyn.
Could we offer a discount for small & efficent vehicles for personal transportation? I've never quite understood why small cars never caught on in NYC like they have in Europe.
All else being said, Bloomberg's doing a fantastic job. I wasn't a huge fan of him at first, but thus far, he's proven to be quite competent. Now, if only he could curtail some of the unsustainable development going on (ie. Atlantic Yards)....
Here's the people who are parking on my block: Queens commuters who work at a nursing care facility on my block. Most are single-passenger cars and sit there idling while they wait for a spot.
I take the subway to work everyday, why should these people get free parking in Manhattan? There is no reason. Take the damn bus or subway like everyone else.
#4 fishtale: congestion pricing doesn't mean folks won't drive in, but perhaps they'll now consider sharing an automobile (instead of driving solo) and sharing the cost of the congestion fees.
[Also, I would be suggest the consrtuction of large (and inexpensive) park & ride facilities just off of the island in Queens and Brooklyn.]
Terrible idea on so many levels
1. Do you think that congestion is only limited to Manhattan, below 86th st.? try driving on the BQE during rushhour or on Flatbush Ave. at anytime.
2. these areas "just off of the island" are some of the most expensive parcels in the city; so there is no possibilty that there are going to be parking lots (or garages) built inexpensively, as you propose.
If the major is going to succeed in his 2030 vision, train access outside of Manhattan, especially in Queens, will have to expand greatly.
fishtale, how do you "know" your events will suffer? When I hear the words "event planning" I am not envisioning the working class. If you can afford to drive in and pay for parking, you can afford an extra $8. Or take a train. Deal. I don't think London is suffering too much.
One would hope that if they do this, they'd work to improve/increase public transportation as well. Those drivers would have to go somewhere.
Lies...all lies, People.
The mayor's 2030 plans for NYC are really to have an enormous Pikachu scare the terrorists away...
Congestion pricing is undemocratic and elitist. There has to be a better way to reduce traffic.
Congestion pricing parcels out the use of an essential public resource (city streets) based on how much money you can afford to pay.
Financial barriers only affect people who can't afford to pay. Therefore congestion pricing will remove the middle and lower classes from the streets while leaving the rich untouched.
In fact, congestion pricing will make it easier for the Donald Trumps and Paris Hilton's of the world to drive in Manhattan because while the rest of us are barred by financial concerns they will be able to zip about in their limousines as never before.
There has to be a better way.
Because what New York City needs is, in fact, more taxes.
$8 to drive in manhattan? As if NYC wasn't expensive enough to live in as-is. Cab rides will be de facto unaffordable.
$8 to drive in manhattan? As if NYC wasn't expensive enough to live in as-is. Cab rides will be de facto unaffordable.
And if anyone thinks congestion pricing is going to stop anyone from driving into the city, you're insane.
Try this exercise next time you're on a Manhattan street: eliminate the cars you think would not be there if they had to pay for entry. There's not many. Cabs, buses, delivery vehicles, SUVs, cars over $25k, and any driver of college age will all still be there.
Your pedestrian utopia is never going to happen... but please, continue to happily bend over as the city adds new taxes, then complain about how it's too expensive to live here.
#14: Yes, public streets are essential public resource. One that should be shared by motorists, delivery people, bicyclists and pedestrians. They will still be free for all but the motorists.
What would you propose instead? Maybe eliminating sidewalks to provide more lanes? Seizing private property and tearing down buildings? Maybe we should pave central park.
Commuting via car in Manhattan (that's what we're talking about, commuting) is akin to first class airfare. If you want the luxury badly enough to pay for it, it's available. Though frankly everyone else will see what an asshole you are.
#17: Cabs would be exempt.
Commuting via car in Manhattan (that's what we're talking about, commuting) is akin to first class airfare. If you want the luxury badly enough to pay for it, it's available. Though frankly everyone else will see what an asshole you are.
And all you're going to do is make companies pay people more to offset the expense. It will become a "benefit" akin to paying for parking.
And, frankly, no... only people who think people who drive are somehow evil will think they're assholes, which you already do.
And, unless it's accompanied by a tremendous increase in funding for the subway system, including creating secure parking lots for people near subway stations, it's still not going to help.
It doesn't take an hour to get into town from Jackson Heights, for Chrissakes. We have the 7, R, V, F, G, E, and I'm missing one...a couple run express. Takes me 20 minutes to get within four blocks of work most days.
And all you're going to do is make companies pay people more to offset the expense. It will become a "benefit" akin to paying for parking.
Fine -- that's their choice. We'll put the money to good public use, perhaps with substantial new investment in public transit.
And, frankly, no... only people who think people who drive are somehow evil will think they're assholes, which you already do.
Well, I do think that people who commute alone via car when public transport would get them there in about the same time are likely assholes. They're consuming a greater than average amount of shared resources (streets, clean air, oil, etc.) and slowing everyone else down for their own selfish comfort.
I don't think drivers in general are assholes (though thanks for telling me what I think). I own a car and drive it both in Manhattan and elsewhere. But I don't commute with it and on those rare occasions when I do drive to work in Manhattan -- usually b/c I need it go someplace not convenient by bus/subway afterwards -- I am prepared to pay tolls, parking fees and congestion fees to help offset the costs of my increased impact on the infrastructure.
It's a start. The plan is for the city to one day ring its borders with cameras like London. These will enforce the requirement that every car entering the city has an EZ pass. If you don't have an EZ Pass you get a $200 fine sent to you in the mail. Each EZ Pass entrance into New York will cost $20 per day. All bridges and tunnels would be more costly to use, (Brooklyn Bridge will be $5 to cross each way). The sensors will also charge cars based on formulae that factors in time of day (rush hour rates would be more expesive) and the area of the city you drive in. Areas like SOHO, Midtown and the West Village would cost more to drive through than the South Bronx. The maximum driving charge per day will be limited to $100 per day not including parking fees. All parking spaces in the city will be taxed so the minimum on-street parking fee per day will be $10 up to $50 for areas like midtown. "Free" parking will cease to exist in the entire city. With the BILLIONS this will generate yearly, the city will build light rail, new subways and hybrid buses powered by a new generation of non-carbon emitting power plants. All taxis, ambulances, buses limos and government owned autos will be required to be non-carbon emitting.
Fine -- that's their choice. We'll put the money to good public use, perhaps with substantial new investment in public transit.
Awesome idea... screw up people's commutes and THEN plan out the alternatives.
Well, I do think that people who commute alone via car when public transport would get them there in about the same time are likely assholes.
I don't think drivers in general are assholes (though thanks for telling me what I think).
Sorry I didn't split that hair.
unbelievable, how much more taxes can the city levy on its residents? ridiculous. this will be the undoing of the bloomberg administration as there a re a hell of a lot more voters in the outer boroughs than in the upper east side.
why do people feel the need to trample on other people freedoms? why do people feel the need to tax the working class out of manhattan? traffic is part of life in a big city, people make that calculation when they decide to drive over mass transit... wtf is happening to america, we are becoming a perpetual nanny state... we like to speak of freedoms but now have less than many of our peers. we do not need additional taxes on the people of nyc, it is already the most highly taxed area in the country, enough already. how about taking simple steps like putting up signs that you see in other states that tell people to stay right unless passing... it seems everyone like to be in every lane going slow and blocking everyone else. lets start enforcing those laws before we suck peoples pockets dry who are just trying to make a living in the most efficient way for them. enough of this BS. unfortunately this crap idea will taint the good things bloomberg has done.
It doesn't just affect commuters -- it affects anyone who drives into town, even if they only do it once for whatever reason. But regardless, it still places a financial barrier on an essential public resource that everyone's tax dollars already pay for.
I would support a traffic plan that affected everyone equally. But this would not affect everyone equally -- it would only affect people who can't afford to pay. They would be driven away (so to speak) while others would not be. There has to be something that would affect EVERYONE.
Who actually drives to work in Midtown anyways? That seems insane to me. I took a taxi from Brooklyn last week when my train wasn't running, and it took about twice as long as the subway because of all the traffic.
I think a congestion tax is a great idea. Although I complain about MTA as much as anyone, New York does have one of the best bus/subway systems in the world. There's really no excuse for driving all the way into the city (unless maybe you're severely physically handicapped...?) At most, I could see driving from your house to a train station if you live far away from a stop. But driving to work in Manhattan is riddiculous and completely unneccessary. And as to all the comments about how this will unfairly hurt poor people- do you seriously think anyone without loads of money can afford to park in Midtown? This will only hurt the lazy.
This will hurt lower and middle class commuters who choose to drive into the city for their daily commute to work, as well as the disabled and those on fixed incomes, older people Some of these people may decide to allocate their money to the small luxury of driving to work, rather than making several transfers and fighting for space and walking further than they are able. There are many ways to fight traffic that have yet be tried besides this. For example, if we merely enforced the traffic laws and police did a better job of controlling traffic, things would run much more smoothly. Garbage trucks cause a lot of traffic, too. We should have dedicated bike lanes, and us Rapid Transit (did they say this would happen this year on 2nd and 1st Ave???) Maybe new thinking in that area would help. We should also wait and see what positive effects the new subway and train lines will have. Finally, if we do have congestion pricing, it would make sense to keep it to midtown 59th - 34st.