Cuomo questions viability of congestion pricing, throwing subway overhaul into doubt

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

Gov. Andrew Cuomo isn't confident the federal government will approve the nation’s first congestion pricing scheme, which is supposed to generate $15 billion for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s overhaul plan.

During an unrelated press conference on Thursday, Cuomo cast doubt on the program, in light of the federal government’s unwillingness to tell New York what type of environmental review it needs to do to win federal approval — a development first reported by POLITICO on Tuesday.

“I’m not holding my breath for them to approve congestion pricing,” Cuomo said.

The MTA had been hoping to start tolling drivers who enter Manhattan’s central business district starting in January 2021. The tolls to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street were supposed to support the MTA’s $51.5 billion overhaul plan, which, in turn, was supposed to include substantial subway signal improvements and improved station accessibility.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2020/02/20/cuomo-questions-viability-of-congestion-pricing-throwing-subway-overhaul-into-doubt-1262556

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Five years of my work down the drain.....

[edhopper]

1. Trump will not approve

of anything to help NY.

[paleotn]

2. Put it on ice until 2021.

If he's still in office, join New England in secession. I'm kidding about that last part. Sorta.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Five years? ouch

Cuomo needs to couple congestion pricing with sanctuary cities. That will fetch the Feds fast.

[thesquanderer]

4. re: "Five years of my work down the drain"

You worked on the congestion pricing initiative?

I remember Bloomberg's initial attempt at that. One of the big arguments against it was that, by adding an $8 cost to drive into the city, you would dissuade the many people who drive into the city maybe just once a week, not to work there, but only to consume and spend there, which would hurt businesses like retail and entertainment.

Keeping in mind that the point of congestion pricing (at least as described at the time) was not primarily about raising revenue, but more about changing behavior (to stop cars from coming in), I had these thoughts:

(1) it's more important to change the behavior of the people who drive into the city 5x a week (i.e. commuters) than to change the behavior of those who drive into the city no more than once a week (i.e. for leisure), because they are the far bigger source of total car entries per week, and

(2) the biggest hurdle to get someone to change their behavior is to get the to do it for the first time... it gets easier after that.

So my idea was that, instead of charging $8 per day, the toll system would charge you based on frequency. In any given week (or 7 day period), there might be no fee for the first day you drive in, $4 for the second day, $8 for the third day, $12 for the 4th day, $20 for 5th and subsequent days, or some other similar staggering. That way you don't disincentivize the people who come into the city one day a week or less, keeping the retail/entertainment people happier; and you provide a much bigger incentive for people who come in every day to find other ways to commute especially on those 4th+ days.

What I thought would happen is that many of the drivers who resist public transit or carpooling would say, "okay, I'll still drive in, but not on Fridays, because there's no way I'm paying $20, at that point I'll suck it up and take the train or find someone to carpool with." But once you get them to do it on Fridays for a while, they'd start thinking, "I've got the hang of this, this isn't so bad, I'll do it on Thursdays too." until eventually, they're doing it more often than not. It provides a way to more easily psychologically adapt to the more desirable behavior.

Just figured I'd pass that along in case you find yourself continuing to work on this.