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The Independent Budget Office released a report examining who might be affected by congestion pricing. The report, "Behind the Wheel: Who Drives Into The Proposed 'Congestion Zone'" can be read here (PDF) but the topline is that drivers are middle-class and over half are from Nassau County, Westchester, NJ, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
The report states, "Looking at the extremes of the earnings distribution for all congestion zone commuters, motor vehicle users were less likely to be in the lowest 10 percent of earners and more likely to be in the top 10 percent." The average yearly income of motorists is $75,523, which is "24% more than other commuters," and those drivers who live in NYC have a median income of $41,209, versus a median income of $32,379 for NYC residents who take other means of transportation. Other interesting points: Motorists are twice as likely to hold government jobs, are more likely to be self-employed, and many work in the private sector.
Reaction to the study is mixed: The NRDC says it proves "Congestion pricing would evenly distribute the cost of maintaining the transit system," while congestion pricing opponent Richard Brodsky says it proves it's a regressive tax. Well, regressive for the middle class, sure, as the study says, "These findings largely counter concerns that congestion pricing would disproportionately affect workers less able to afford additional commuting costs."
Streetsblog has the presentation from the New York City Traffic Congestion Mitigation Commission about congestion mitigation strategies. Those strategies included:
- Night delivery incentives
- Telecommuting incentives
- Increasing the cost of parking in the CBD
- Taxi stands
- Surcharge on taxi and livery fares
- East River Bridge tolls
- License plate rationing
- Required carpooling
- Creation of High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes
- Changing the northern boundary
- Charging to drive on the FDR and West Street
- Changing the hours / variable charges
- Changes to the toll credit policy
- Exempt hybrids.
Photograph by Eye Captain on Flickr
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can someone explain to me where the checkpoints for this commuter tax would be? like if I went over the brooklyn bridge, would i pay a toll?
Yup. I think one idea is that there would be cameras capturing your license plate number and you'd be billed later. Or there might be EZ Pass type transponders set up.
Another bunch of overpaid idiots sitting at desks writing out tickets for people that really don't need this kind of crap.
One can only how much money that will be wasted on the bureaucracy created by the whole congestion scheme, which would undoubtedly cut into any revenue that would fund mass transit.
my millionaire boss drives solo to work every day, from the $$ burbs in a Escalade. of course, he won't feel this as he'll insist it's a business cost...and so will other sr. exec who operate in a similar sphere. and so, those costs will still trickle right back down to the rest of us somehow...
One can only how much money that will be wasted on the bureaucracy created by the whole congestion scheme, which would undoubtedly cut into any revenue that would fund mass transit.
Car free Manhattan!!
Boy are you all a bunch of know-nothings. How can you be so unaware of the congestion pricing debate?? This is eye-popping.
Woah! Motorists "hold government jobs, are more likely to be self-employed, and many work in the private sector." In other words, they have the same type of jobs as everyone else!!
The income disparities between people who commute by car (or SUV) and those who use public transportation are interesting, though.
Thank God they passed this so they wouldn't have to raise subway fares.
You know what? How about just setting up tolls at the city line? Westchester/Bronx border, Nassau/Queens... Staten Island/Brooklyn (oops... forgot)... And make them the same as the Jersey crossings so it's all fair. You don't like it? Go work somewhere else. Oh, wait, you can't, because there are no jobs in the suburbs.
As the late, great Murray Kempton once said, one of the most endearing things about New York City is, it costs $6 to enter, but it doesn't cost a thing to leave.
I say get rid of cars altogether in Manhattan and bring back the Third Ave El and trolleys. Anyone care to work out the numbers...?
#12
The benefits outweigh the costs (at least to those who actually live in the city) -- microeconomics says yes!
The right to own a car in the city should be decided by lottery. If rich people lose, tough.
most of you idiots forget that the people commuting into new york generate a large amount of money for the city. yes, i get that you are so cool and live in, i dunno, bushwick (hey you kicked a bunch of blacks out of your neighborhood!), but just cause you can't afford a car doesn't mean you have to get all uppity.
FFS, if you don't even own a car what do you care about traffic?
It is very telling that the federal grant is only awarded when a reduction in traffic is achieved through pricing. The goal is clear... Pricing (taxing).
Die congestion tax, Die!
matty, what the fuck are you smoking?
The whole point of congestion pricing is to:
A. Redistribute taxes into public transportation, which is what people who actually live here use already. Anyone living in Manhattan can tell you that driving will generally be more of a hassle than subway+walking (especially after factoring in looking for a spot and avoiding street cleaning twice a week).
B. Eliminate traffic to make the streets safer for those who walk or bike (or periodically need to catch a cab somewhere).
Either way, your offhand swipe at gentrification really suggests you're bridge & tunnel and have stumbled into the wrong debate.
Yea walking the streets after 330 is a nightmare. And its all people that dont even live here and tourists who want to ride around in there renties thinking there cool for comming to nyc.
Yea walking the streets after 330 is a nightmare. And its all people that dont even live here and tourists who want to ride around in there renties thinking there cool for comming to nyc.
Bridge and Tunnel people, through the Tolls, are subsidizing your precious fucking trains Trizzlor.
How bout this, you guys can completely wall off everything below say 96th street in Manhattan if, AND ONLY IF, all the tolls on the other major TBTA crossings are completely done away with.
How bout it?
I would venture a guess that the City does a lot more for the commuters than the commuters do for the city. Especially since a) the commuters don't even pay the commuter tax any more, and b) there are probably three other people who could fill the job of every person who decided that the commute was too much of a hassle.
Bottom line, we don't really need you that bad, certainly not as much as you need us. (And BTW, IMHO, it is cooler to live in Bushwick or Ozone Park or Woodlawn than to live anywhere in Westchester, Jersey, or the Guyland.)
I would venture a guess that the City does a lot more for the commuters than the commuters do for the city. Especially since a) the commuters don't even pay the commuter tax any more, and b) there are probably three other people who could fill the job of every person who decided that the commute was too much of a hassle.
Bottom line, we don't really need you that bad, certainly not as much as you need us. (And BTW, IMHO, it is cooler to live in Bushwick or Ozone Park or Woodlawn than to live anywhere in Westchester, Jersey, or the Guyland.)