The FHWA approval brings congestion pricing in Manhattan closer to reality, with vehicles entering below 60th Street facing a fee, although the exact payment structure is not yet know.
I wonder why they're choosing not to fully exempt taxis from the charge. That would reduce likelihood of additional vehicles such as Ubers, and simply restore the yellow cab volume.
I'm guessing differential tax treatments of the 2 groups would open the possibility that Lyft/Uber could sue for being regulated like cabs, but having to pay significantly higher taxes.
I was in New York City about a year ago and had a wild encounter with a woman who was going crazy over this proposed toll. How we met is a long story, so I'll cut to the chase. She had a really interesting thought, apparently shared by friends of hers, that this will kill business in the affected areas. Anyone who has to make an appointment for services like legal, medical, dentist, and possibly restaurants as well simply won't go if they have to pay the toll. Instead, business will move up town and rents near the 6oth street boundary will soar. Because most businesses pay rent, they can get out of their locations relatively easily making her hypothesis more believable. Of course, all policies, no matter how well intentioned, have side effects. I wonder if this will be one of them.
I'd be really curious about the rental prices along 60th avenue and how that will change, but I'm not sure I buy the "it will kill businesses" argument that people make about things like this. It's never been easy to drive into Lower Manhattan and find parking, so I'm not sure how often people were ever really doing that to begin with. Having more services spread out may end up being more beneficial to residents instead.
I wonder why they're choosing not to fully exempt taxis from the charge. That would reduce likelihood of additional vehicles such as Ubers, and simply restore the yellow cab volume.
I'm guessing differential tax treatments of the 2 groups would open the possibility that Lyft/Uber could sue for being regulated like cabs, but having to pay significantly higher taxes.
All I could find on the subject was that it's still a possibility based on negotiations between the NYCTA and the MTA: https://www.amny.com/transit/rideshare-cabbies-uneasy-congestion-pricing/
I was in New York City about a year ago and had a wild encounter with a woman who was going crazy over this proposed toll. How we met is a long story, so I'll cut to the chase. She had a really interesting thought, apparently shared by friends of hers, that this will kill business in the affected areas. Anyone who has to make an appointment for services like legal, medical, dentist, and possibly restaurants as well simply won't go if they have to pay the toll. Instead, business will move up town and rents near the 6oth street boundary will soar. Because most businesses pay rent, they can get out of their locations relatively easily making her hypothesis more believable. Of course, all policies, no matter how well intentioned, have side effects. I wonder if this will be one of them.
I'd be really curious about the rental prices along 60th avenue and how that will change, but I'm not sure I buy the "it will kill businesses" argument that people make about things like this. It's never been easy to drive into Lower Manhattan and find parking, so I'm not sure how often people were ever really doing that to begin with. Having more services spread out may end up being more beneficial to residents instead.