The lawsuit is still pending, but under the current schedule congestion pricing is scheduled to begin in Manhattan on June 30th. Online publication of vital city Published on May 1, contains short, easy-to-read explanatory articles on aspects of planning.
In his opening essay, Josh Greenman explains the basics:
Congestion pricing plans have two closely related objectives. It's about reducing Manhattan's stubbornly high volume of car traffic and raising at least $1 billion in capital funding each year to support public transit, and preferably more. MTA officials expect the plan to reduce the number of vehicles entering the central business district by 17%. The final details of the program are as follows: Cars pay $15 during the day (5 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and $3.75 during off-peak hours (weekdays 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and 9 p.m.) to enter below 61st Street in Manhattan . until 9 a.m. on weekends). At peak times, bikes cost $7.50. Light trucks and charter buses, $24. Large trucks and tour buses are $36. Uber, Lyft, and rental cars cost $2.50 per trip, and yellow taxis cost $1.25 per trip. Toll plazas will be abolished and automatic number plate reading cameras at 110 locations will record vehicle license plates.
Of course, there are many small exceptions. For more details, read Greenman's article. Here I would like to mention some issues that have been raised in other articles.
There will be additional charges and probably all sorts of practical issues in the first day of the program, but it will take time to see the benefits of additional funding for public transport. This may not be a politically sustainable equilibrium. Howard Yaras suggests offering carrots for the time being. One example is making all public transportation in New York City free on Sundays.
At best, congestion pricing would only moderately alleviate traffic in Manhattan. Sam Schwartz points out that over the decade ending in 2019, fewer cars entered Manhattan's central business district, worsening traffic congestion. A real part of the problem is the increase in ride-sharing traffic, and congestion could become even worse once self-driving cars arrive in Manhattan.
In New York City, cameras have been introduced to take pictures of license plates to help crack down on speed violations, and the number of cars with license plates that are illegible for various reasons has increased significantly. Do you buy legal paper license plates in states where they are allowed? Do you hang a bike rack over the license plate? Would you spend $100 to buy an electronic device that makes the plate unreadable to a camera? Do you use a certain coating or cover that makes the plate unreadable? Do you just drip mud on the plate? Do you drive without a license plate? There will also be problems reading license plates to collect congestion charges.
Plans for additional funding for New York City's mass transit system will increase the capital budget by just under 10%. More broadly, what parts of New York City's public transit system will see significant short-term benefits as funding from congestion pricing becomes available?
To minimize or avoid tolls, traffic is rerouted in creative ways, creating new bottlenecks and problems. As an example, people might commute to Upper Manhattan (outside the toll zone) or other areas of New York City, avoid paying tolls, and take public transportation for the rest of their trip. If commuting by car to Manhattan is curtailed, it may be easier for trucks to get into Manhattan. Reducing the number of cars could mean creating bus lanes, widening sidewalks and bike lanes, and allowing restaurants to continue operating outdoors.
Henry Glover points out the interplay between congestion pricing and the rules governing parking. He writes of New York City:
The city manages 19,000 lane miles and 3 million parking spaces. Roads make up an astonishing 36% of Manhattan. The thoughtless allocation of a large proportion of that space to private vehicles, especially moving vehicles, and especially parked vehicles, has long presented cities with one of their greatest opportunities for improvement. …The city can solve that problem by borrowing certain technology. Vancouver: Issue low-cost permits to residents who currently own cars and give them and low-income households the option to renew permanently at that rate. But after that initial period, it begins charging applicants market prices for a limited number of permits. Gradually the old-fashioned crowd leaves and we move to a system where street space is properly priced, and the city can easily weigh the distribution of new permits against other curb priorities in terms of space and money. Become. It is difficult to take away the right to park, but it is easy to deny permission in the first place.
Congestion pricing is a set of complexities, a set of winners and losers. I don't live in or near New York, so I'm happy to be able to watch the experiment from afar. Additionally, we don't hear many ideas that suggest the possibility of reducing congestion and increasing mass transit in the city. But it also seems like the kind of idea that could be tripped up by practicality.
For more information on congestion charges, see below.