http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070503/...ity_traffic_dc
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I think it's a good idea.
Why anyone would want to drive in NYC is beyond me. It's quite easy to get around town using public transportation there.
Make em pay.
I like it.
I think it's a horrible idea!
When I lived in upstate NY, I often drove to NYC... mostly to attend baseball games. Using public transportation is not as easy as one might expect, especially when you have kids in tow to keep an eye on. Yankee Stadium isn't far from the bridge so it was much easier for me. An $8 toll is ridiculous.
I believe London has something like that called a Congestion Charge.
Fine by me.
They should add one to D.C. while they're at it.
That's another city I found to be much easier to deal with without a car. While it was nice driving around the monuments, finding parking was a bear. It was much less stressful parking at a Metro stop in VA and taking it into town.
Another possible solution could be as well could be free parking and fare discounts for those who park outside the city and use public transit to come into the city.
I lived in Chicago for a few years without a car and was able to do quite well without one. The money I saved on gas and parking more than made up for fares paid for riding the El and taking cabs.
You know, I commented to my wife the other day that i have no idea how people who aren't from DC navigate their way around it by car. By foot or subway it's a breeze, but the diagonal streets, traffic circles, and "disappearing" streets make driving around central D.C. a confusing mess. I get tripped up driving around all the time, and I have a reasonably good idea where I'm going and how best to get there.
That's another issue altogether. I wish the local government and trasit authorities would focus on this--problem is DC's Metro is terribly underfunded, and the fare system is based on distance traveled. it's not a flat rate like most other major cities. I wholeheartedly agree that parking at Metro stations should be free...they currently charge $4/day to park there, and when you add that to a $4-$6 round trip train ride, you're talking about $10 for what is for most people an inconvenience. No wonder people choose to drive.Quote:
Another possible solution could be as well could be free parking and fare discounts for those who park outside the city and use public transit to come into the city.
I once drove in NYC..... the Mayor has it backwards. I'd pay $8 to leave....
I haven't been there in ages, so I don't know what kind of programs they have now, but when I was in Chicago I was able to get in on a pilot program with the CTA where they gave me a credit card-like pass which I could just wave in front of sensors to go through the turnstiles. I would also get a discount of $.25 of each trip loading it up online. There was also a program where your employer could arrange to have your fares deducted, I think it was pre-tax, directly from your paycheck. Again you got bonus credits on your fare card for enrolling. While I don't necessarily miss the crazy street preachers would would occasionally try to cast Satan out of my train car or the homeless guys who would smell bad enough to cause everyone to smash themselves into one half of the car, I really miss being able to read a paper or a novel on my way into work in the morning. Much more relaxing than driving, IMO.
The whole distance-based fares idea stinks if your goal is to get more people to actually use the public transporation.
If the money goes towards building subway lines to / from LaGuardia, then it makes a lot of sense.
http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/sub1a.gif
Seems to me that an east-west line running from any of the 103rd - 125th street stations in Manhattan out to Laguardia would be a great way to get a lot of traffic off the roads.
You wouldn't be affected going to the stadium. It's for downtown to I think somewhere in the 80s. Yankee Stadium isn't even in Manhattan...it's in the Bronx.
Edit: If global warming and pollution is really a concern, then people are going to have to start making some sacrifices. It starts w/taking public transportation. NY has high instances of asthma due to the air quality. As the Mayor said...we can either pay from our pockets, or we'll pay in other ways. I have no issue with this.