The 8 most common congestion pricing misconceptions from the public hearings

Plus, staying safe now that the MTA mask mandate is over [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] The 8 most common congestion pricing misconceptions from the public hearings Plus: Hochul lifts the MTA mask mandate; NYC wants a ferry operator that won't rely on public subsidies so much; and the U.S. has seen a steep decline in the number of kids who walk or bike to school. Sponsor Message[Ad: NYC Means Business. Click here to find options to help you shop your city.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- [Manhattan traffic at sunset] Gary Hershorn/Getty The MTA wrapped up [nearly 40 hours of public hearings on congestion pricing]( last week, following the release of thousands of pages of research into a plan to charge drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street as much as $23. While some attendees spoke up in favor of congestion pricing, the hearings were packed with opponents of the plan whose arguments aren't supported by facts, statistics or research into gridlock and driver behavior. Here are some of the most common misconceptions that emerged: 1. Misconception: Congestion pricing is an MTA "cash grab" and not about improving the environment. The facts: • In 2019, there were 700,000 vehicles per day south of 60th Street in Manhattan. • If successful, congestion pricing could reduce cancer-causing airborne particles by 11% due to a reduction in traffic. [Read more](. 2. Misconception: This will be the nail in the coffin of the Midtown economy. The facts: •Of the 7.7 million people who enter the congestion zone each weekday, only 24% of people arrive in vehicles. •Recent research shows people are staying away from Midtown offices, but not Midtown itself. 3. Misconception: Costs of everything from groceries to home repair will go up. The facts: • Several small business owners who spoke at the public hearings, including an electrician and a funeral home owner, vowed to pass congestion pricing costs on to customers. • But just how much of an increase business owners will face is unclear because the price of the tolls has not been determined. 4. Misconception: This unfairly penalizes residents who live south of 60th Street. The facts: • Under the current plan, drivers are only charged when they enter or leave the zone. So, residents can drive freely within the zone. • And, according to [a city survey]( from 2018, just 23% of Manhattan residents in the tolling zone own a vehicle. 5. Misconception: This will disproportionately affect the disabled, people of color, low income drivers and the elderly. The facts: • The Community Service Society, a staunch defender of low income and marginalized communities, [backs the program]( noting that only about 2% percent – or 5,000 people – living in poverty would have to pay the toll. 6. Misconception: The MTA just got $14 billion from the federal government. It doesn’t need more money. The facts: • It’s true, over the course of the pandemic the MTA received $14 billion in federal aid. • The federal money is only to be used for operations, like keeping the trains operating – not capital projects or new investments. 7. Misconception: The MTA is forcing people to use unsafe subways. The facts: • Overall felony crimes on the subway are up by 53% this year, compared to last year, when ridership was very low. • But NYPD statistics show that crime rates between January and June are lower this year than anytime going back to 2014. 8. Misconception: It’s not cars causing congestion, but bike lanes and dining sheds. The facts: • There’s no evidence to back up this assertion. The dining sheds may cause vehicles to double park, blocking a lane of traffic, but that’s not the fault of the dining shed. Drivers are choosing to double park, rather than find another spot. • After the Transportation Department installed bike lanes on Prospect Park West, traffic speeds [actually increased slightly](. — [Reporting by Stephen Nessen]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsor Message [Ad: NYC Means Business. Click here to find options to help you shop your city.] --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Masks no longer required on public transit [a subway rider with their mask below their nose] John Minchillo/AP Transit riders will no longer be required to wear masks on New York City subways, buses, and commuter rail lines, [Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday]( bringing an end to one of the region’s last surviving mask mandates in public places. The governor announced that masks are now optional on public transportation, although she says they're still "encouraged." Compliance with the face covering requirement had fallen sharply in recent months as transit authorities largely gave up on enforcing the rule. The last time the MTA conducted a rider masking survey in April, rates had fallen to 64% compliance — down from roughly 90% the previous year. Subway riders had mixed feelings about Hochul's announcement. Many at the Union Square subway station told Gothamist it made no difference given the lax enforcement, though some said they'd continue to mask up for personal reasons. "I just do it whenever I feel like I have an ugly day now," said Abi Fraser. "Plus people are nasty, they do disgusting things every now and then." Columbia University researcher Dr. Daniel Griffin [told WNYC's Brian Lehrer today]( that for people concerned about riding a bus or train with other maskless strangers, continuing to wear a well-fitting KN95 mask is an effective way to at least protect yourself from contracting COVID-19. "One-way masking, particularly for our more vulnerable individuals and those who have to ride the bus, this may be the way they can keep themselves safe when everyone else is done doing that," he said. — [Reporting by Jake Offenhartz]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Here's what else is happening You still have to wear a mask in a cab. The New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission is still requiring drivers and passengers in for-hire vehicles, including Ubers, Lyfts and yellow and green cabs, to wear face coverings. ([The New York Times]( The new Long Island Rail Road concourse at Penn Station is now open. The area is now twice as wide and has taller ceilings, but with Gov. Kathy Hochul's massive Penn Station overhaul still underway, the new LIRR waiting area will still resemble a construction zone for the time being. ([NBC New York]( Hornblower's contract to run the NYC Ferry system expires next year, and the city is looking for an operator that won't require the current level of public subsidies. The NYC Economic Development Corporation, which currently subsidizes the ferry service to the tune of about $13 per ride, is seeking bids for an operator that'll generate more revenue and rely less on taxpayer money. ([THE CITY]( Now eight months into his term, Mayor Eric Adams' administration has completed 28 street safety improvement projects in front of schools, which amounts to one for every 93 schools. On the upside, state lawmakers did manage to expand school zone speed camera enforcement to 24/7 before the school year's start. ([Streetsblog]( A related factoid: 41% of American children walked or biked to school in 1969, but by the start of this century, that figure had dropped to 13%. Here's an interesting rundown of how, beginning in 1970, Japan made its streets way safer for both drivers and kids walking to and from school — and what the U.S. could learn from that process. ([CityLab]( Queen Elizabeth II’s remains will now be transported from Scotland to London on the extremely ornate and surprisingly slow (70 mph) British Royal Train. Get a look at this thing. ([Curbed]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- And Finally: Ride on [a picture of a little white dog on the subway]( [@peacozy/Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ad: NYC Means Business. Click here to find options to help you shop your city.]( Sponsor Message Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. [DONATE]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [WNYC]( [WQXR]( [NJPR]( [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 All rights reserved. [Terms of Use.]( Want to change how you receive these emails? 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