NY Gov Hochul saves you money!

[Jolly]

Maybe New York will vote her out next time

[taiwan_girl]

I actually dont see a "congestion" charge as a bad idea.

Why are you guys against it?

It is like that "meme" about London (not sure if it is actually true). Something like:

In 1850, the average speed of traffic in central London was 7 mph
In 2024, the average speed of traffic in central London is 4 mph

[George K]

@taiwan_girl said in NY Gov Hochul saves you money!:

I actually dont see a "congestion" charge as a bad idea.

Yeah, but saying she's saving 40% for the drivers is a bit ... dishonest?

If I read the tweet correctly, it was $0 beforehand, and the proposed tax was $15. She's reducing it to $9.

IOW:

You're paying $0 now.
We proposed $15.
We reduced it to $9.

Be grateful, peasant.

[jon-nyc]

Im all for this. 9 seems sufficient to change behavior in many without breaking the bank for those who need to drive in. Sure, the ‘saving money’ comment was stupid.

[George K]

Is New York unique in that it needs a congestion fee tax? It is the only city in the country that plans this.

Small trucks and non-commuter buses will pay $14.40 to enter Manhattan, while larger trucks and tourist buses will pay a $21.60 fee.

Is NYC worse than Chicago, LA or others? DC has the worst gridlock.

[LuFins Dad]

@George-K said in NY Gov Hochul saves you money!:

@LuFins-Dad said in NY Gov Hochul saves you money!:

That actually pays for us to take the train round trip instead. Insane..,

Acela from DC to NY Penn is $500 - for 3 adults.
Return trip is about $300.

Northeast Regional is half that for about 20 minutes longer transit time, plus Luke isn’t going and Finley is half price. Prices going up are $86, $86, $43. Coming back it’s $36, $36, $18. Add in gas and tolls, and it’s about break even.

[LuFins Dad]

@George-K said in NY Gov Hochul saves you money!:

Is New York unique in that it needs a congestion fee tax? It is the only city in the country that plans this.

Small trucks and non-commuter buses will pay $14.40 to enter Manhattan, while larger trucks and tourist buses will pay a $21.60 fee.

Is NYC worse than Chicago, LA or others? DC has the worst gridlock.

New York is slightly worse at rush hour. At non rush hour, NYC is far worse.

[LuFins Dad]

I think a bigger issue is that it’s the Governor foing this and not the city government.

[George K]

@LuFins-Dad said in NY Gov Hochul saves you money!:

Northeast Regional is half that for about 20 minutes longer transit time

That's right, and Acela isn't really worth it unless you're Amtrak Joe you have money to burn and want "The experience."

That said, we did Acela from DC to Boston. I had an upgrade coupon so we did 1st class. It was nice as a one-of, but for basic transportation, I'd take the NE Regional.

[George K]

@LuFins-Dad said in NY Gov Hochul saves you money!:

I think a bigger issue is that it’s the Governor foing this and not the city government.

Does this pass constitutional muster regardless of who's doing it?

[LuFins Dad]

@George-K said in NY Gov Hochul saves you money!:

@LuFins-Dad said in NY Gov Hochul saves you money!:

I think a bigger issue is that it’s the Governor foing this and not the city government.

Does this pass constitutional muster regardless of who's doing it?

Freedom of travel?

[jon-nyc]

Toll roads seem to be legal. They’re pretty common. That’s all this is at the end of the day.

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in NY Gov Hochul saves you money!:

Toll roads seem to be legal. They’re pretty common. That’s all this is at the end of the day.

True.

I suppose one can argue about the purpose of each: Toll roads are to generate revenue and maintain roads, congestion fees are to discourage driving in specific areas.

One can avoid toll roads by taking alternate routes - not so with an entry-to-the city fee.

[jon-nyc]

Well that’s why it’s controversial. The money in this case is earmarked for subways, which also alleviate road traffic.

[taiwan_girl]

@George-K said in NY Gov Hochul saves you money!:

It is the only city in the country that plans this.

I know it is not in the US, but Singapore has been doing this for a while.

When it started, you had a tag you put on your window, and they had a policeman at every street leading to the Central Business District. They wouldn't stop you going in, but I guess would spot people without a tag and remember their license number. Sounds like kind of a tough job!!

[George K]

I just read that NYC already does stuff something like this - the tolls on a couple of bridges change depending on what time of day you cross.

[jon-nyc]

London has it too.

[89th]

In the northern virginia area, so many highways are becoming toll roads (many times, variable costs). Sometimes it's one or two lanes, sometimes it's the whole highway. Costs range from $4 to $50 depending on the traffic. What really bothers me about this are... well, a few things.

1. The construction and maintenance of roads seems to be one of the clearest "what my taxes go to" categories.
2. Trying to control congestion just means planners are 20-30 years behind. Roads should be built or widened a decade or two before the growth is expected.
3. This is a POOR TAX. I am fortunate to pay the cost (sometimes $20 or $30) if it saves me an hour of sitting in traffic, but many people cannot pay that. In other words... if you are poor, you must sit in traffic or drive many miles out of your way, adding time to your commute.

[Copper]

In high volume, the toll is higher

But since the volume is higher, the speed is slower

Did you know that the Dulles Toll Road was initially built with the promise that the toll booths will be removed when the cost of the road has been covered?

The cost of the road was recovered in only a few years, but when they saw how much money could be collected, the promise was forgotten.

[George K]

@Copper said in NY Gov Hochul saves you money!:

Did you know that the Dulles Toll Road was initially built with the promise that the toll booths will be removed when the cost of the road has been covered?

We were told the same thing in Illinois.