Note: I attended the WCBS AM 880 Radio Anniversary Celebration in New York City in 2017. Special musical guest was Tony Bennett. It was raining, and he was waiting for his car in a walkway next to the theater. I ran into him, asked if I could get a picture with him and he said yes. He was that rare musician that whether it was with Frank Sinatra or Lady GaGa made beautiful music all generations could enjoy. ‘The Song has Ended but the Melody lingers on!’ R.I.P. to a man who through song left everyone with a smile on their face!
By Eric Wolf Schoen
Boy oh boy it’s been a busy summer for our readers. Now on top of everything else New York City is building a first in the nation Congestion Pricing system. Together with our neighbors to the north, east, south and west we have to work to stop it.
Want to kill what’s left of New York City? Install congestion pricing. The prohibitive cost will prevent most people from entering New York for business or pleasure. What is congestion pricing? Drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street will be charged for entering the Manhattan Central Business District by car possibly up to $23 during rush and $17 during off peak times. Its’ goal is to collect billions of dollars to fund mass transit while discouraging drivers from jamming up an already overcrowded Midtown Manhattan.
Cleaner air, cleaner streets and better mass transit are other goals of the plan. If it works it will be an ambitious undertaking that will be either a model or a disaster for cities across the country with climate change and traffic reduction goals.
A local panel will decide toll rates, discounts, exemptions and other allowances. The group was appointed by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) with a goal of implementation next spring. Key details have not been figured out, which simply is not fair to those who will get stung Iike a bee by this major toll increase.
At the same time the equipment for charging motorists for the tolls is starting to go up this week. Another sneaky job by a government agency? Don’t tell the people how much the tolls are going to be but get everything ready so that you can’t go back and tell the courts we are ready to rumble and you can’t take it away from us.
The simple solution is to have mass transit that is safe, secure and meets the needs of the New York City region. That is not the case now and every time large amounts of money are given to the MTA the money is misspent as the agency has a history of delayed projects with major cost overruns.
So just what is congestion pricing all about. Raising large sums of money that will be misspent by bureaucrats. They will spend the money on political projects not giving a dam about improving mass transit or air pollution or traffic congestion. The poor will suffer, the rich will get richer and the folks in the middle, the little people will get hurt.
There are so many questions on how the program will work. #1 is what will the tolls cost? This is the big question. Rumors run from $23 at leak times to $17 at non peak . Will there be exemptions for people with disabilities, people who live inside the district, low income people and others? Why was 60th Street set as a boundary? How will the MTA track tolls, will there be an appeals process for those who claim they didn’t enter the zone?
Will taxis, Ubers, Lyfts get charged the tolls and will it be a per day charge or per entry to the district charge. What about fees for trucks and oversized vehicles? What about fuel efficient and electric vehicles?
The NYS Thruway Authority has had its troubles tolling vehicles on its roadways how will this more congested tolling system do its’ job efficiently and fairly. How will drivers pay congestion tolls, will drivers without EZ PASS be charged more or have a surcharge on their toll bills? Will fees be higher for those without EZ PASS? Can you use cash or other mechanisms to pay the fee? What will late fees be for not paying your tolls promptly. London which also uses congestion prices charges users 270 pounds in penalties if the miss payment deadlines and officials can tack on enforcement fees. Will drivers pay penalties or have their cars impounded if they don’t pay mandatory fees. Will cars decide to park north of 60th street and continue their trips via public transit to avoid the fees? Is there sufficient parking north of 60th street to allow them to do this?
With so many unanswered questions and so little time to put this system in place in New York, isn’t this system designed for failure. And why oh why again are motorists being hit up for a mass transit system on the brink of collapse.
It is my hope that you will join me in opposing Congestion Pricing for New York City. This gimmick is a money grabber and serves no other purpose than that.
The numbers to call to stop this idiocy are:
Governor Kathy Hochul. 15184748390
Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins 5184552584
Senator Shelly Mayer 518-455-2031
Assemblyman Nader Sayegh 914-779-8805
As we saw when we fought the Councilman who didn’t his in his district if we work other we can stop this foolishness. And we all have friends in New Jersey, Upstate New York, Staten Island, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens that can join us in our fight!
Let the battle begin! We are tired of being overtaxed by the liberals!
Listen to Eric Schoen on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, go to WVOX.com and click the arrow to listen to the live stream or download the WVOX app from the App Store free of charge. Reach him at thistooisyonkers@aol.com.
