kinovelo t1_j9wylrv wrote on February 25, 2023 at 3:51 AM

Reply to comment by Reasonable-Wish-6025 in MTA Pushes Congestion Pricing Back to Second Quarter of 2024 by perspicatic

I do. The truly “working class” can’t afford parking in downtown Manhattan and has to take the “disgusting trains.” You’re a privileged elitist, who wants to lower the quality of life for others by jamming up the roads. At bare minimum, you should pay for the inconvenience that you’re causing others.

Mentalpopcorn t1_j9zbwvh wrote on February 25, 2023 at 5:57 PM

The trains are disgusting, wtf? If not wanting to have all my sense accosted is elitist then call me Mitt fucking Romney because there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to rise above one's circumstances.

Terrible-Pack9518 t1_j9ylsep wrote on February 25, 2023 at 2:59 PM

Do you actually know TeamMisha to call them a privileged elitist? One can argue that everyone living in Manhattan are privileged elitists trying to keep the working class out. But that would also be an inaccurate generalization.

For the last 40 years, I can remember the MTA always crying poverty while the quality of mass transit has remained roughly the same. Sure new subway cars and new ways to pay fares, but general reliability hasn’t significantly improved.

Relying on mass transit is not always practical and parking rates are exorbitant. Also who gets to decide how much traffic is considered congestion? You and like minded thinkers?

To be truly fair, why not eliminate all vehicles in Manhattan except for commercial vehicles? That includes Manhattan residents to give up their cars as well. But should you decide to keep your car in another borough, maybe you pay an extra storage tax.

Finally, if congestion pricing goes through, then are you willing to pay an additional tax and surcharge on all goods and services that are shipped into your area?

Of course most of this rant is slightly facetious but I hope you get the point. One city one fare used to be a model. To charge premiums to drive into certain neighborhoods is elitist by nature. To those who want to live in a big city, this is the price you pay.

kinovelo t1_j9zbhah wrote on February 25, 2023 at 5:54 PM

People who own cars are richer on average than your average New Yorker, and if you can afford to pay $600+ per month for parking and $500+ a month in insurance just because you think you’re too good for the “disgusting trains” that millions of New Yorkers take everyday, then you are a privileged elitist.

I’m all for creating financial disincentives for people in Manhattan owning cars too.

If you made it so it was mostly only commercial vehicles in Manhattan, they could make their deliveries quicker because they wouldn’t be stuck in traffic, which would likely more than offset any fees that they’re paying.

Lower Manhattan wasn’t designed for cars. Congestion pricing isn’t about preventing access to the city, but rather about making people who think that they’re better than everybody else taking public transit pay for the true nuisance that they’re causing by blocking up the roads.