I suppose I have to be a bit circumspect about commenting on local New York City politics, given that I am a relatively recent arrival in the city. But I am completely behind Bloomberg’s announced congestion pricing for downtown Manhattan. Anything that will reduce the smog and traffic downtown is a good thing.
There are plenty of arguments against the fee. To be honest, most of the traffic I see consists of a mix of yellow cabs and towncars, both which would be exempt from the fee. But the move to more hybrid cabs makes this at least a bit better. And after all, these are forms of quasi-public transportation. One of the major complaints is that this amounts to a regressive tax, making it only possible to drive in New York if you are rich. I really don’t know many people who can afford to drive in New York if they aren’t already rich–parking is already so difficult that it doesn’t make much sense. I think there is something to the argument, but not much. Even the very wealthy are generally smart enough not to keep cars in the city.
I also think they should exempt low-emissions vehicles from the fee. This may already be part of the plan, but I haven’t seen anything about it. (There’s a nice discussion over on WorldChanging NYC.) If you are driving an electric or natural-gas powered vehicle, this should be encouraged. And for those hybrids that have significantly reduced emissions, I think there should also be an exemption or reduction in fee.
Finally, no word in this article about the proposed opening of the East River to seaplane traffic. I really hope they allow for this, as it provides another route into and out of the city. I can absolutely see a healthy (although not necessarily for the environment) commuter plane business operating out of the East River.
NY Driving Fee
There are plenty of arguments against the fee. To be honest, most of the traffic I see consists of a mix of yellow cabs and towncars, both which would be exempt from the fee. But the move to more hybrid cabs makes this at least a bit better. And after all, these are forms of quasi-public transportation. One of the major complaints is that this amounts to a regressive tax, making it only possible to drive in New York if you are rich. I really don’t know many people who can afford to drive in New York if they aren’t already rich–parking is already so difficult that it doesn’t make much sense. I think there is something to the argument, but not much. Even the very wealthy are generally smart enough not to keep cars in the city.
I also think they should exempt low-emissions vehicles from the fee. This may already be part of the plan, but I haven’t seen anything about it. (There’s a nice discussion over on WorldChanging NYC.) If you are driving an electric or natural-gas powered vehicle, this should be encouraged. And for those hybrids that have significantly reduced emissions, I think there should also be an exemption or reduction in fee.
Finally, no word in this article about the proposed opening of the East River to seaplane traffic. I really hope they allow for this, as it provides another route into and out of the city. I can absolutely see a healthy (although not necessarily for the environment) commuter plane business operating out of the East River.
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