This is a dumb idea.
A pair of New York City government agencies, including the powerful Metropolitan Transit Association, recommended congestion pricing for traffic and to help steer people to mass transit. This is not a good idea.
New York is a big city crammed onto a little island. Los Angeles is a big city. Chicago is a big city. Miami is a big city. They are overwhelmed with traffic and automobile problems, yes, but trying to deter more drivers by imposing a fee on certain days is not a good idea.
People love their cars and getting into Manhattan below 60th Street could get pricey if this plan comes to fruition.
Hey, don’t get me wrong. I love mass transit. You can find a lot of faults in New York City, but the subway system is not one of them.
Furthermore, this is not a tourism problem. New York City is a mecca for tourism, but most visitors find that they get around better on subways instead of taxi cabs, or Uber or Lyft. Mastering and then taking the subway is really just part of the overall experience.
But some people seem to think that charging drivers for congestion pricing will put a brake on driving and steer people toward mass transit. It won’t work on FDR Drive or the West Side Highway, or any other New York City road. Unless the congestion pricing also includes an increase in parking prices.
Being a native New Yorker, now that would scare me. Parking costs are already outrageous in New York City. That would be deterrent enough.
But again, I emphasize, do not blame tourism.
Tourists might add to the number of people roaming the streets, but not behind the wheel of a car.
I can certainly see the logic of making it more expensive to drive and forcing people to think twice about taking a car into the Big Apple. To me, that brings up two very big problems.
One is the copycat issue. If New York City breaks the ice and implements congestion pricing, it only opens the door for other big cities to do the same and with justification. It’s almost an invitation for other big cities to say, "hey, look, they did it, so why can’t we?"
Number two is that you don’t want to have the reverse effect and drive people away. There are ancillary fees on airlines and hidden costs in lodging. It’s expensive enough just to get there. And what happens if you have the misfortune of picking a day that happens to be a peak day to drive?
It just makes you wonder, what’s next?
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
