Honestly fascinated to observe what the adjustments will be. Will people really change their patterns? I suspect that everyone will just absorb the cost: effectively a regressive tax.
It’s my hypothesis. There is already a large congestion price in the form of bridge tolls. I think this won’t really move the needle, and since it’s flat, it becomes regressive to the commuters
They should have pushed for the toll to be a minimum of $100 per vehicle and $1,000 per commercial truck. The point is to stop all vehicles in the city and make it hurt enough that no one wants to drive.
The goal is to make commuting uneconomical in a car so people choose the robust transit instead. This makes room for vehicles that actually need to go in there like vehicles bringing stores their supplies and construction vehicles bringing heat pumps, solar panels, and unclogged toilets
All of the item listed above can be brought in on the transit system or in the case of France they use bicycles with trailer to move goods inside city centers.
Im sorry heat pumps involve 2 units weighing roughly 100 and 160 lbs or more, copper line set @ 30 lbs, a vacuum pump @ 25 lbs, refrigerant tank @ 35 lbs, indeterminate amounts of sheet metal & flex duct & insulation, oxy-acetylene tanks @ 25 lbs, extension cords, plus removal of old junk and more!
Like any asset, roads have operating and maintenance as well as capital (construction) costs, but the real point of congestion pricing is to re-capture the *external* costs of driving: the increased accident risk, pollution and wasted time caused by additional cars.
Oh. That’s the thing. If you live in New Jersey and drive to New York every day, you actually aren’t paying taxes to New York City or New York State for all of the infrastructure they have to maintain to support your lifestyle even though you are putting wear and tear on it.
Okay, got it. Here, in California, they are building "fast track" lanes using tax dollars after increasing taxes for highway maintenance. Then they charge California drivers to drive in these lanes.
Well, given that gas taxes only cover a portion of highway maintenance costs in California, and maintenance scales by usage, that actually seems like an okay way to do it especially if you don’t want to have people who drive very little effectively subsidizing those who drive everywhere.
(Admittedly, there is a very good argument to be made for not adding lanes at all given that long term it overwhelmingly exacerbates traffic problems).
That is a whole new kind of "one step forward, two steps back" mentality. Doing these things just furthers public transport from what it must needs be (a public good) and further puts it out of reach of everyone (by making it a luxury/benefit of upper middle to upperclass employment)
True, tax payers subsidize cars whether or not they have a car themselves. Time for car owners to pay a more fair share. But the point of congestion pricing is to get cars moving. No one wants to be stuck in traffic.
$9 during the day with the latest changes. $2.25 at night. Only applies once per day, you can exit and reenter as many times as desired. (And you get a $3 credit against tolls if you entered the zone using a tolled tunnel.)
You were right that it was originally $15! Hochul reduced it (capriciously) when she brought it back after Trump got elected, following her last-minute 'pause' over the summer three weeks before it was supposed to start.
Tbh people who actually love driving should be some of the biggest proponents of public transit bc it clears the roads for a more enjoyable experience for them
Comments
Subsidize what you want more of (transit ridership), and tax what you want less of (driving private vehicles into congested areas).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigouvian_tax?wprov=sfti1
Of course it costs money.
Just like your car payment gives you access to every road
Than their should be lower tiered pricing at different incomes.
But also when you have a good public transit system
Plenty of people want to and are willing to pay for it on a membership basis
Ironically, most city dwellers would prefer to be able to bike or walk to where they need to be which requires even less maintenance.
Taxation is a tool and they can at least decide on use.
https://youtu.be/WcliB8uBs5w?si=KtAyJ4l2MGB3yxSB
Reclaim our streets from the scofflaw sociopaths! Promote Andrew Gounardes' Senate Bill S4494!
https://trackbill.com/bill/new-york-senate-bill-4494-relates-to-bystander-reporting-of-stolen-false-or-fraudulent-license-plates/2361463/