New York City has recently pushed successfully for congestion pricing. This is a toll you would pay after the toll you already paid for the bridge or tunnel you used to enter the city. The idea is that charging people another $9 to $23, for the privilege to drive in the city, would encourage people to use mass transportation.
Here’s The Problem…
NYC says that this extra revenue would be used to fund upgrades to the aging subway system. I agree, the subway system is desperately in need of upgrades. For example, some of the signals in the system - used to indicate that it’s safe for a train to proceed - are over 100 years old. I have read that some Train Operators will slow down to a crawl around turns, even if the signal is green, because they don’t trust the ancient signals.
The NYC subway system, as a concept, is truly amazing. The scale and reach of the system is something that makes NYC really world class. I dare say it would be politically impossible to build this system today. But, in recent years, the subway has gotten a lot of hate from riders. Trains are often delayed, stuck between stations, and riders are packed like sardines. The unhoused use the train cars as their bedrooms and sometimes their bathrooms. Riding the subway can be uncomfortable, unsanitary, and sometimes unsafe.
The MTA just reported that they have $48 Billion in debt. So, it’s easy to understand the desire to find additional revenue to start reducing their debt and work to improve the system through infrastructure upgrades.
However, forcing commuters onto the system to help pay for these upgrades is a terrible idea. The system can’t handle the capacity today and this action will only punish those who can’t afford to drive. If you thought people hated the subway before, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
So what’s the solution?
I think it makes the most sense to fix the subway system before you drive up ridership. While there are many things that need to be fixed, I believe overhauling the signalling infrastructure will have the most impact. I know they’re already working on this, but the pace is incredibly slow. Even the MTA’s own Communication-based train control site talks of successes from 14 years ago and there’s practically no detail about when this effort will be complete. This should be priority one.
You might ask how can the MTA pay for this? Didn’t you just say they had $48 Billion in debt?
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Take a hard stance on MTA overtime abuse . Employees of the MTA are, in some cases, booking 3x their regular pay in overtime. I know there’s been some progress in this regard, but the MTA needs to make it clear that this is unacceptable. All overtime should be approved by the highest levels and any abuse should not be tolerated.
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Take a pause on things like Dog Mosaics and WiFi upgrades. I can’t find a price tag for the dogs, but I’m sure it wasn’t cheap. These are nice things to have, but making the trains comfortable and safe has to take top priority. Run the trains fast and frequent so we’re not packed like sardines.
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Crack down on cars with outstanding parking and moving violation fines. NYC is owed more than $1 Billion in unpaid vehicular fines . In Washington, DC, police cars have cameras that can scan every vehicle it passes and record the plate and location. This makes it trivial to issue tickets to cars that have been on the block too long. The same technology would be very easy to implement today. Police should pull over cars with outstanding fines and bring a point of sale terminal to the window of the vehicle. Pay your fine now, or we’ll impound your vehicle. Charge the outstanding fines and a large “Impound Release” fee for drivers with a long history of avoiding their fines. If the owner doesn’t come to collect their vehicle in 90 days, auction the vehicle off.
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Crack down on Ghost Cars - vehicles with fake or obscured license plates. Legit vehicles with obscured plates should be fined something on the order of $500. An amount that discourages this behavior and seeks to reclaim lost toll revenue. For cars with illegal plates, impound the vehicle. If they want their vehicle back, they pay the same $500 fine and a large “Impound Release” fee. If they don’t come to collect their vehicle, it goes to auction after 90 days. The fact that the NYPD is not taking this problem seriously is very concerning. These vehicles are being used to transport illegal drugs and guns . When these vehicles are involved in accidents, eyewitnesses are unable to help law enforcement find the perpetrators. Every time I drive I see a half dozen vehicles with temporary tags that look fake and are often already expired.
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Implement a World Class Cannabis program for New York State. When Colorado made Cannabis legal, they made so much in tax revenue, they had to send some of it back to their citizens. New York Cannabis should be the best in the world. Myriad edible options unseen elsewhere, high end restaurants with Cannabis experiences, cafes and lounges that are comfortable and safe for people to hang out and consume Cannabis. The Cannabis should be safe to consume and of the highest quality. If implemented correctly, NYC could be looking at several billion in tax revenue annually. Unfortunately, our governor is ignoring this incredible opportunity. The management of New York’s Cannabis program is so poor that Cannabis is being sold with mold on it and New York has decided to loosen the safety requirements . This is leadership malpractice and everyone should be furious.
With competent leadership at the MTA, and a comprehensive plan to fund and implement these desperately needed infrastructure upgrades, we can get people riding the subway again. Then if you want to drive up ridership with Congestion Pricing, that would be an appropriate time to do it.
I also have opinions on how our government agencies have inadequately addressed homelessness, but I’ll reserve those thoughts for another time.
While I do not claim to be an expert on these topics, I welcome differing viewpoints. Please feel free to contact me with your thoughts.