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I live in central Riverdale (B'way and 252 street) and always had a car. I work in Wakefield which is a 3.8 mile one way commute. it would take me about an hour to do a public transit commute to work. i have free on street parking where i live. and my car is good on gas, lo maintenance and a subcompact. i always had subcompacts. easy to drive in this area and easy to park. tho due to parking spot issues on weekends (huge park across the street attracts visitors who hog up all the spots) i often take the public bus when i want to go shopping, to Starbucks or out to eat
Bike commuting is a wonderful option you might consider.
Getting rid of your car would bring you enormous benefits. You'll save an incredible amount of money by doing so and reduce pollution on your surroundings. Cars are a great way to get in a lot of financial trouble quickly. NY is such a great city to live in without owning a car.
Even here in NYC there are plenty of bike commuters. His trip is short and easily bikeable. Even an amateur can complete it in 30 minutes max at a easy pace (3.8 miles).
Last edited by nykiddo718718; 05-29-2013 at 12:53 AM..
Idling buses are much more of a health hazard in residential areas, which is believed to be a reason why asthma rates are higher in neighborhoods in Harlem and the South Bronx near said depots. Buses are not the sole cause of asthma rates, either, as there are environmental issues in the home that also contribute to asthma, including rodent and roach infestation. Actually, I think it was in Boston where rodent control was shown to have markedly reduced asthma rates in public housing. Genetic predisposition and allergies are also factors when looking at asthma rates, as well.
With many LEV, SULEV, and ZEV, and PZEV vehicles on the market, private vehicles are not the cause of high asthma rates in the city. When looking at historic rates, and judging motorized transportation to be a cause, one has to factor leaded fuel, which was completely phased out in 1996, but had begun to be phased out in the early 1970s, so today's cars are not the same as they were thirty or forty years ago, nor are buses with the advent of natural gas buses, cleaner diesel technology, and cleaner gasoline buses.
The other issue is that when speaking of Manhattan, it is not exclusively a business district, and many residents need/want cars just as those who live elsewhere in the city. Why some people react with glee that pedestrian plazas and congestion pricing are poised to be implemented in Manhattan is beyond me, especially when the benefit is for those who do not live in the area. People I know on the Westside still complain about the Broadway issues, for example, and the disruption to all sorts of traffic, not just private vehicles. What is there to see for a tourist on the UES or UWS, or even in TriBeCa, where they need a pedestrian plaza, yet a resident cannot easily travel their own neighborhood to go where they need to via whatever means works for their household? If one does not want to own a vehicle, or drive, then that's a personal choice that I support, wholeheartedly, but attempting to dictate by pointing the finger at passenger vehicles as the sole cause of problems in the city, when that's not the case, is something with which I take issue. It's one thing to decide for oneself not to own and operate a vehicle, but quite another to dictate to someone else who owns/drives a vehicle in the city because it is not illegal to do so, nor will it be declared illegal to do so.
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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)
Idling buses are much more of a health hazard in residential areas, which is believed to be a reason why asthma rates are higher in neighborhoods in Harlem and the South Bronx near said depots. Buses are not the sole cause of asthma rates, either, as there are environmental issues in the home that also contribute to asthma, including rodent and roach infestation. Actually, I think it was in Boston where rodent control was shown to have markedly reduced asthma rates in public housing. Genetic predisposition and allergies are also factors when looking at asthma rates, as well.
With many LEV, SULEV, and ZEV, and PZEV vehicles on the market, private vehicles are not the cause of high asthma rates in the city. When looking at historic rates, and judging motorized transportation to be a cause, one has to factor leaded fuel, which was completely phased out in 1996, but had begun to be phased out in the early 1970s, so today's cars are not the same as they were thirty or forty years ago, nor are buses with the advent of natural gas buses, cleaner diesel technology, and cleaner gasoline buses.
The other issue is that when speaking of Manhattan, it is not exclusively a business district, and many residents need/want cars just as those who live elsewhere in the city. Why some people react with glee that pedestrian plazas and congestion pricing are poised to be implemented in Manhattan is beyond me, especially when the benefit is for those who do not live in the area. People I know on the Westside still complain about the Broadway issues, for example, and the disruption to all sorts of traffic, not just private vehicles. What is there to see for a tourist on the UES or UWS, or even in TriBeCa, where they need a pedestrian plaza, yet a resident cannot easily travel their own neighborhood to go where they need to via whatever means works for their household? If one does not want to own a vehicle, or drive, then that's a personal choice that I support, wholeheartedly, but attempting to dictate by pointing the finger at passenger vehicles as the sole cause of problems in the city, when that's not the case, is something with which I take issue. It's one thing to decide for oneself not to own and operate a vehicle, but quite another to dictate to someone else who owns/drives a vehicle in the city because it is not illegal to do so, nor will it be declared illegal to do so.
Most New Yorkers are NOT commuting to Midtown from Whitestone or Staten Island...most New Yorkers are commuting from the UES to Midtown, Harlem to Midtown, Astoria to Midtown, Sunnyside to Midtown, Williamsburg to the Village, Downtown BK to the Financial District, Brooklyn Heights to the Financial District. Another big chunk works locally (inside their borough)
Most New Yorkers DO NOT live on the outskirts of NYC... the population is highest in and around the core.
Most trips in NYC are short distances (statistical fact). Thankfully the city is walkable and most neighborhoods are rich in amenities. There are a lot of New Yorkers who seldom leave their neighborhood.
I would like to target car ownership in neighborhoods like LIC, Washington Heights, Mott Haven, Williamsburg, I'm not going after City Island or Far Rockaway...
Targetting it won't stop it, as people who live in those neighborhoods who can afford cars will continue to have them. Nor will congestion pricing stop them, either. In order to drive to NYC from NJ, one must pay the Port Authority tolls. And plenty of people do, even though there is public transportation near their homes. Btw, Bloomberg wanted to use congestion pricing to fund additional phases of the Second Avenue subway. Had congestion pricing past, the city would have sold bonds to pay for transit expansion and paid the bondholders back with congestion pricing tolls.There is no law you can pass in America that could restrict cars, and NYC's government never really wanted to, though they would have placed new tolls on them. Personally, I would not have minded congestion pricing, and yes, I do realize people have to drive, and yes, I likely will get a car in the future. I would have had no problem with this money funding additional subway expansion.
And yes, door to door time matters. My neighborhood is walkable and rich in amenities. I don't really need to leave it. Well besides work, and no I'm not driving to Midtown.
Bike commuting is a wonderful option you might consider.
Getting rid of your car would bring you enormous benefits. You'll save an incredible amount of money by doing so and reduce pollution on your surroundings. Cars are a great way to get in a lot of financial trouble quickly. NY is such a great city to live in without owning a car.
Biking around town? That's for poor people!! What sane person who has a decent salary is going to bike around town in all kinds of weather? No well off person is biking around town! He doesn't need to save money if he's making a decent amount.
I rode my bike to work in LIC from Jackson Heights. There is a dedicated bike lane on quiet blocks away from major routes and traffic. Unless that's the case, I am reluctant to ride because drivers are unaccustomed to have bikes on the road with them and there are safety issues. I am no longer at that job, and work at 3 sites (Lower Manhattan, Bed Stuy, and South Bronx). I tried the ride to Lower Manhattan once, which had a dedicated bike lane the whole way. However, riding over the Williamsburg bridge was tough. I also test rode to Bed Stuy down Grand Avenue, which becomes Flushing Avenue. There's no bike lane, there are trucks, and a good part of the ride, I felt unsafe. Forget riding to the South Bronx. It would be doable if the Triborough Bridge wasn't hard to navigate.
I would ride partial distances but taking my bike on a crowded subway is asking for trouble, and I can't afford a folding bike right now.
Even here in NYC there are plenty of bike commuters. His trip is short and easily bikeable. Even an amateur can complete it in 30 minutes max at a easy pace (3.8 miles).
Where's the helmet? That's asking for trouble. The skull is not a football.
Bike commuting is a wonderful option you might consider.
Getting rid of your car would bring you enormous benefits. You'll save an incredible amount of money by doing so and reduce pollution on your surroundings. Cars are a great way to get in a lot of financial trouble quickly. NY is such a great city to live in without owning a car.
I don't think you understand that most people don't care about the money because the car is a very worthwhile expense and adds to your quality of life. Also realize that a $500 monthly expense on a car is more than offset with living in queens or brooklyn for $1000+ less in rent, and that people often make that move so they can have a car in the first place
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