New York City’s congestion pricing program is moving forward with a $15 fee on passenger vehicles, reports Stephen Nessen in Gothamist, after the MTA board voted to approve it. The program now enters a 60-day public comment period before a final vote.
Nessen points out that “The stakes are high for the program. Congestion pricing has been successfully implemented in other countries. But the MTA’s program represents the first effort in the United States to impose a fee to reduce gridlock.” Additionally, “The tolls are required by law to back $15 billion worth of loans, which accounts for nearly a third of the MTA’s 2020-2024 construction program.”
The program includes exemptions and fare discounts for low-income drivers, emergency vehicles, and drivers who already pay certain tolls. “Small trucks, buses and vans face a $24 charge during those hours, while large trucks, including big rigs, will have to pay $36. Motorcycles will be tolled a $7.50 daytime fee.” The fee is reduced by 75 percent during nighttime hours.
Sounds good overall, should reduce traffic levels significantly and make people consider whether they really need to drive their car in such a compact city.
Not sure if I agree with tolling motorcycles though, they don’t take up anywhere near the same footprint as the average car
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The last time I was in NYC I was awoken by some asshole running his motorcycle up and down sixth avenue at five in the goddamn morning. And I was on the 14th floor of a hotel.
The fact that they weren’t drawn and quartered in the street shows what a lawless place NYC is.
It’s cuz most of us aren’t thin skinned piss-babies. Bit of noise in a very loud city, shut the fuck up and deal.
There’s that welcoming New York attitude.
No wonder I avoid it
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It’s the only place I know where people have argued with each other on how to best help a tourist out.
Look, this is a city where you have wealthy business owners and blue collar folk living across the street from one another, literary geniuses and creatives living next door to programmers and engineers… the people who live and thrive here are makers and doers, in every avenue of human adventure we can yet think of.
That a bit of noise is all it takes to get you to miss how wonderfully unique this situation is, of all walks of life talking, reading, eating and living with each other, is a damning indictment of how tough you actually are, and how much you bring to the table.
Can’t handle it? Wahh.
E: Each downvote on this comment is an admission that you, the downvoter, are similarly rigid. Prove me wrong.
Yet another great example of the NYC mindset
Certainly better than the alternative. Take care now! 🤭
It’s so NYC to think there’s only two mindsets: You, and everyone else
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You sound like an insufferable ass.
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At least their vehicles aren’t obnoxiously noisy.
Aww, someone’s mad they got stuck in traffic while the bike carefully rolled past. Aww 🤭
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Well aware. Working on remedying that, section 1252 needs amending.
“Carefully rolled past”
More like lane split 20+ mph more than traffic was going in an unsafe manor.
Some morons like to gamble, most of us don’t because of how low (aka zero) reward is vs risk.
But you’ll always remember the people in life making the insane choices vs the regular folk.
I absolutely remember how many motorcycles lane spilt safely.
Zero.
And that’s before we talk about the crotch rockets that pass me going 90+ weaving in and out of traffic.
Your vehicle doesn’t make you special; wait in traffic like the rest of the motor vehicles on the road.
No thanks, citation-free dingus.
https://news.berkeley.edu/2015/05/29/motorcycle-lanesplitting-report/
Your vehicle doesn’t make you special; wait in traffic like the rest of the motor vehicles on the road.
You’d be PISSED if you were in line at the grocery store with a full cart of groceries and someone with 5 items “filtered” around you without your consent because they’ll be faster.
Faulty logic appears to be a forte.
Why should I wait? Do you know what an air cooled engine is? I incur more risk in driving specifically for the benefits of agility and compactness.
I’m sorry that my ability to go past you makes you upset, but again, I’m exposing myself to significantly more danger specifically for the benefits including the ability to not be stopped by the car in front of me, much higher mpgs, lower cost of ownership, etc.
Do you get mad at bicycles because they don’t operate the same as cars? I pass you in the bike lane all the time on my bicycle.
Well what are we tolling? Square footage? Noise? Carbon emissions? Deaths and injuries? Yes. Motorcycles are better in some categories and worse in others
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Literal nonsense. Idiots make their bikes loud because they’re annoying idiots, not for some moral reason.
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Yes, quite obviously so…
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https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moral
You should probably give it a read, I guess.
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fair point that I didn’t consider! my assumption would be traffic, seeing as the toll is branded as “congestion pricing” - which wouldn’t really make sense for motorcycles because they make up so little of the actual cause of traffic in NYC (large motor vehicles).
If we’re talking about noise though, and how clean the engine burns fuel, motorcycles are 100% guilty as charged IMO.
Deaths and injuries is a little muddier because there are several factors at play, fault could lie on any individual involved in the accident, or maybe even the road design itself. I don’t think these would be robust enough to use as the sole basis for a toll fee