Congestion pricing works in London because the money was used to actually improve transit options inside the tolled area. There is now excellent bus service all through the cordoned center, in addition to the modern and high-quality Underground.
Instead of which, New York plans to simply shovel the money into the maw of the MTA's Capital Program, including its slow and inefficient signals modernization program, with no commitment whatever to better financial or management performance. Large parts of the tolled entry area in Manhattan have no or very limited subway service and inadequate bus service. Nobody has made the MTA say what they will do to provide an alternative to driving in those areas, and this guarantees that they will do nothing at all. At this point it's just a tax, a crippling one, which is all the more obvious when you consider they're going to be charging tolls even on off-hours when there is no congestion to abate. It is simply a mechanism that allows the Governor and the Legislature to get away from their responsibility for adequate, continuous funding of the MTA. Having destroyed the credit rating of the agency by forcing it to incur unsustainable debt, this is all that's left.
The effect particularly on the cultural industries will be absolutely disastrous. Culture-goers (mostly older) are not going to spend an hour and a half getting home on inadequate and probably unsafe transit after a curtain breaks at 10:30 at night. Think about this: if you can't afford to go to the theatre in New York, you might as well be in some other place where you also can't go to the theatre. And with the taxes you'd save in, say, North Carolina, you could afford to go to London for a couple of times a year and see all the theatre you want (and enjoy good mass transit as well).
Congestion pricing critics are right that the MTA can’t really be trusted to spend the tolling revenue meaningfully....I think this is essential. Can be the MTA or the Federal government. So many people I talk to mention this sort of thing when it comes to higher taxes or fees. Media and politicians don't care or don't want to care. I am a lifelong democrat and this is a point I can't really pushback on. If I could then there would be opportunity for a much bigger consensus on more progressive economic policies
The MTA does not inspire confidence. Most recently, the LIRR is unable to adjust their schedules to absorb the new Grand Central access. Discouraging toll shopping seems obvious to me.
The goal for double tolling should be to reduce toll shopping. The aggregate cost to drivers should be the same if you take the BK Battery, QMT or the 59th st bridge. The wild card is, you’re only CP tolled if you leave the FDR and access the city. So that can complicate things a little bit if someone takes the BK battery/BK Bridge/Manhattan/WillyB bridges and stays on the FDR to upper Manhattan, then they don’t pay a CP toll.
Outer borough New Yorkers are *not* benefiting because the congestion pricing funds are a substitute for other capital funding sources that should be allocated routinely by the legislature for ongoing reconstruction, but now don't have to be. It takes away our functional access to Manhattan and gives us back nothing in the way of reasonable alternatives. The base capital program is needed simply to maintain the existence and reliability of the existing system. For greater speed, reliability, coverage, you have to put in more money and (more importantly) execute the work timely and with quality, and this is exactly what is *not* happening.
Congestion pricing works in London because the money was used to actually improve transit options inside the tolled area. There is now excellent bus service all through the cordoned center, in addition to the modern and high-quality Underground.
Instead of which, New York plans to simply shovel the money into the maw of the MTA's Capital Program, including its slow and inefficient signals modernization program, with no commitment whatever to better financial or management performance. Large parts of the tolled entry area in Manhattan have no or very limited subway service and inadequate bus service. Nobody has made the MTA say what they will do to provide an alternative to driving in those areas, and this guarantees that they will do nothing at all. At this point it's just a tax, a crippling one, which is all the more obvious when you consider they're going to be charging tolls even on off-hours when there is no congestion to abate. It is simply a mechanism that allows the Governor and the Legislature to get away from their responsibility for adequate, continuous funding of the MTA. Having destroyed the credit rating of the agency by forcing it to incur unsustainable debt, this is all that's left.
The effect particularly on the cultural industries will be absolutely disastrous. Culture-goers (mostly older) are not going to spend an hour and a half getting home on inadequate and probably unsafe transit after a curtain breaks at 10:30 at night. Think about this: if you can't afford to go to the theatre in New York, you might as well be in some other place where you also can't go to the theatre. And with the taxes you'd save in, say, North Carolina, you could afford to go to London for a couple of times a year and see all the theatre you want (and enjoy good mass transit as well).
You said it all here - nailed it.
Congestion pricing critics are right that the MTA can’t really be trusted to spend the tolling revenue meaningfully....I think this is essential. Can be the MTA or the Federal government. So many people I talk to mention this sort of thing when it comes to higher taxes or fees. Media and politicians don't care or don't want to care. I am a lifelong democrat and this is a point I can't really pushback on. If I could then there would be opportunity for a much bigger consensus on more progressive economic policies
The MTA does not inspire confidence. Most recently, the LIRR is unable to adjust their schedules to absorb the new Grand Central access. Discouraging toll shopping seems obvious to me.
The goal for double tolling should be to reduce toll shopping. The aggregate cost to drivers should be the same if you take the BK Battery, QMT or the 59th st bridge. The wild card is, you’re only CP tolled if you leave the FDR and access the city. So that can complicate things a little bit if someone takes the BK battery/BK Bridge/Manhattan/WillyB bridges and stays on the FDR to upper Manhattan, then they don’t pay a CP toll.
Outer borough New Yorkers are *not* benefiting because the congestion pricing funds are a substitute for other capital funding sources that should be allocated routinely by the legislature for ongoing reconstruction, but now don't have to be. It takes away our functional access to Manhattan and gives us back nothing in the way of reasonable alternatives. The base capital program is needed simply to maintain the existence and reliability of the existing system. For greater speed, reliability, coverage, you have to put in more money and (more importantly) execute the work timely and with quality, and this is exactly what is *not* happening.