Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Why does NYC continue to give preference to the automobile? I was thinking:
-Why does the city want to create two BRT bus lanes on 181st Street in Manhattan in NYC (good) but not eliminate parking to extend the sidewalks?
-Why did congestion parking not get passed, when the entire borough of Manhattan, all of the Bronx (minus one absent vote) and all areas of Brooklyn, Queens and S.I. near Manhatan say yes???
-Why don't we eliminate cars completely from major retail areas? Pedestrian streets.
-Reduce citywide speed limit.
-More camera enforcement, they are pretty damn good now.
If I had it my way, I would charge cars 10 bucks through every entry to the city, and than another 10 bucks to get a day pass in Midtown/Downtown Manhattan. That money would go into public transportation.
Most people in NYC do not drive. I think it's less than 20% for Manhattan, about that for the Bronx, a little higher for Brooklyn, around 40-50% for Queens and than their is S.I. NYC is for pedestrians, take back the streets.
We have:
-Walkability
-Public Transportation
-Bike sharing +Bike lanes
-Car sharing
So no one should be screwed. Most people are just too lazy to jump on the damn train. As for Jersey, better start digging that new tunnel.
Opposition to Congestion Pricing is mainly from affluent people in Brooklyn (and Queens to a lesser extent). They have a lot of political clout (more people live in Brooklyn than Manhattan). We already have a form of Congestion Pricing through bridge and tunnel tolls. The problem is that the tolls are wildly uneven. It's quite expensive to come in from Jersey whereas it's free to take the Brooklyn Bridge.
I have lots of friends in Brooklyn who would prefer to be in Manhattan. They view driving into Manhattan as a form of "compensation" for not being able to live here.
10-24-2010, 09:29 AM
grant516
n/a posts
The only big flaw in the 'logic' is that NYCTA/MTA recieves an UNGODLY amount of subsidies from Motorists in the 11 county region, as well as the state.
The city itself receives STATE & FEDERAL tax dollars to maintain its roads.
Disconnecting the free I-495 in Queens/LI from the rest of the Interstate through a congestion charge would cause the city of NY to have to pay for the maintenance, and patrol of I-495 all the way out to Riverhead.
People in Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, are not given NEARLY the kind of public transit alternatives that people in Lower Manhattan have, and yet we pay the same amount of taxes (payroll, registrations, licenses, to the MTA as those who do live there.
Ontop of that- bridges like the Whitestone & Throggs Neck whose population base of ridership is primarily Queens & Long Island residents traveling to the rest of the country, are tolled heavily and that money goes to serve public transit in NYC exclusively.
Aside from the Bronx, the entirety of NYC is situated on Islands. If you ask me, if you'd like to see a reduction in congestion and smog in that area- support the construction of a Cross-Sound Tunnel or Bridge, as originally proposed by Robert Moses.
A major portion of trucks, and traffic navigate through Manhattan, and other boroughs each day, as there is no outlet to the Physical Long Island (an island with 6+ million residents) from the Mainland where goods are produced, aside from cutting through NYC and paying expensive MTA tolls.
As a driver- I'm sick of paying $5.50 each way to go over a bridge, when only .20 cents of that goes to maintenance, and the rest subsidizes public transit that doesn't serve the areas I need to go.
10-24-2010, 09:30 AM
grant516
n/a posts
Also- congestion pricing was completely dismissed by the state's legislature when it was proposed last time. It simply benefits only a small group of people.
The only big flaw in the 'logic' is that NYCTA/MTA recieves an UNGODLY amount of subsidies from Motorists in the 11 county region, as well as the state.
The city itself receives STATE & FEDERAL tax dollars to maintain its roads.
Disconnecting the free I-495 in Queens/LI from the rest of the Interstate through a congestion charge would cause the city of NY to have to pay for the maintenance, and patrol of I-495 all the way out to Riverhead.
People in Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, are not given NEARLY the kind of public transit alternatives that people in Lower Manhattan have, and yet we pay the same amount of taxes (payroll, registrations, licenses, to the MTA as those who do live there.
Ontop of that- bridges like the Whitestone & Throggs Neck whose population base of ridership is primarily Queens & Long Island residents traveling to the rest of the country, are tolled heavily and that money goes to serve public transit in NYC exclusively.
Aside from the Bronx, the entirety of NYC is situated on Islands. If you ask me, if you'd like to see a reduction in congestion and smog in that area- support the construction of a Cross-Sound Tunnel or Bridge, as originally proposed by Robert Moses.
A major portion of trucks, and traffic navigate through Manhattan, and other boroughs each day, as there is no outlet to the Physical Long Island (an island with 6+ million residents) from the Mainland where goods are produced, aside from cutting through NYC and paying expensive MTA tolls.
As a driver- I'm sick of paying $5.50 each way to go over a bridge, when only .20 cents of that goes to maintenance, and the rest subsidizes public transit that doesn't serve the areas I need to go.
Imagine paying $11.00 for the Verrazano Bridge.
10-24-2010, 11:19 AM
grant516
n/a posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYChistorygal
Imagine paying $11.00 for the Verrazano Bridge.
$13 dollars cash come December 30th.
I completely feel your pain- I believe this insane charge alienates Staten Island from the rest of the area- although, in a minor defense, the MTA does give SI residents discounts on this bridge.
No such discounts have ever been allotted to Nassau or Suffolk residents going to Westchester and thus the rest of the mainland- with MTA insisting that a 'congestion type' charge is why the bridge tolls are so incredibly high.
Seems incredibly unfair as there are no routes from Nassau/Suffolk without having to cut through NYC.
Why does NYC continue to give preference to the automobile? I was thinking:
-Why does the city want to create two BRT bus lanes on 181st Street in Manhattan in NYC (good) but not eliminate parking to extend the sidewalks?
-Why did congestion parking not get passed, when the entire borough of Manhattan, all of the Bronx (minus one absent vote) and all areas of Brooklyn, Queens and S.I. near Manhatan say yes???
-Why don't we eliminate cars completely from major retail areas? Pedestrian streets.
-Reduce citywide speed limit.
-More camera enforcement, they are pretty damn good now.
If I had it my way, I would charge cars 10 bucks through every entry to the city, and than another 10 bucks to get a day pass in Midtown/Downtown Manhattan. That money would go into public transportation.
We have:
-Walkability
-Public Transportation
-Bike sharing +Bike lanes
-Car sharing
So no one should be screwed. Most people are just too lazy to jump on the damn train. As for Jersey, better start digging that new tunnel.
Air pollution
Are u kidding with this post? Wrong on so man counts. NYC is one of the most unpleasant place for car owners, why; insurance is the highest in the country,; most highways only have 3 lanes; the spped limit limit is low compared to other parts of the country; conjestion is insane; most jobs dont provide parking; and there are tolls to get to other parts of the city.
Did u ever think that some people actually hate taking the subway;why? B/c it makes u ride closely with strangers, deal with other peoples crap; u have to often climb up on down flights of stairs to get on it; the only time it runs on an efficient scheduale is rush hour when u get packed in like a sardine, on the off hours the service aint that great.
How about dating, ask most females and they will tell u after going out would they rather a guy drop them off in a car with the AC or heat on, or jump on the subway.
You also shouldnt assume everyone is lazy. Some people r elderly or just dont have the legs to be hopping up and down subway steps.
Get a grip, the subway isnt everybodys fantasy of getting around, many New Yorkers use it b/c they dont have a choice or havnt lived anywhere else to know the difference.
Why does NYC continue to give preference to the automobile? I was thinking:
-Why does the city want to create two BRT bus lanes on 181st Street in Manhattan in NYC (good) but not eliminate parking to extend the sidewalks?
-Why did congestion parking not get passed, when the entire borough of Manhattan, all of the Bronx (minus one absent vote) and all areas of Brooklyn, Queens and S.I. near Manhatan say yes???
-Why don't we eliminate cars completely from major retail areas? Pedestrian streets.
-Reduce citywide speed limit.
-More camera enforcement, they are pretty damn good now.
If I had it my way, I would charge cars 10 bucks through every entry to the city, and than another 10 bucks to get a day pass in Midtown/Downtown Manhattan. That money would go into public transportation.
Most people in NYC do not drive. I think it's less than 20% for Manhattan, about that for the Bronx, a little higher for Brooklyn, around 40-50% for Queens and than their is S.I. NYC is for pedestrians, take back the streets.
We have:
-Walkability
-Public Transportation
-Bike sharing +Bike lanes
-Car sharing
So no one should be screwed. Most people are just too lazy to jump on the damn train. As for Jersey, better start digging that new tunnel.
Number of Auto commuters
Who commutes into Manhattan
Air pollution
Why should drivers be punished for preferring a mode of transportation over the other? Not everyone wants to commute day in day out on the dumpy, cramped, smelly subway. If everyone used the subway, imagine how much more packed the trains would be, when it is already horrendous during rush hours as it is. Yuck!
I live in Manhattan and I'd gladly welcome congestion pricing. I'm don't think Manhattan residents would pay congestion pricing, but I'd gladly pay to use my car if it means less cars on the road. More room on the road for me!
I do not drive everyday, but the anti-car Nazi'ism by a certain segment of the population in this city is irritating.
Mayor's attempt at congestion pricing was really a stab at getting $200-500 Million dollars from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Congress. In the end, we should just remember how crafty a businessman Bloomberg can be. He and those thieves at the MTA try to fleece commuters who ride or walk into Manhattan.
NYC is already pretty hostile to the automobile, removing parking spaces, closing roads, and creating large bike lanes. The speed limit is hardly excessive, especially considering that most cars cannot get to the speed limit, outside of certain off-peak times.
Before another dime is placed in the hands of the MTA at the expense of the auto-driving public, a full accounting needs to be made, as that agency can easily absorb extra money and transportation projects are still not funded. Of course, it's too much of a political issue to have the MTA's books evaluated, so I would not hold my breath on a full accounting of their spending.
All the congestion pricing would have done was shift the traffic from Midtown and Lower Manhattan to Upper Manhattan and the Cross Bronx, for LI drivers who need to travel off the island. NY is not London, geographically, so what works there may not necessarily work here, especially as there are no bypass routes that have enough capacity to avoid travel through Manhattan.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
