The Congestion Pricing Cure No One Asked For

By Roger Paradiso

I have to thank the Governor and the New York State Legislature for their brazen courage in coming up with a vehicle tax for congestion. I call it the Mucinex-D Tax — for that stuffy, achy feeling of yet another tax.

May I present my thoughts on all this Madame Governor?

I want a sign placed at every artery saying “No Cars.” I also love the “No Parking” signs.

Instead, EZ Pass was installed, costing millions of dollars, to facilitate digital money collection. Why not have the cops and traffic folks writing tickets like the old days? Think of the money you would make. And bring on the city marshals and the threat of towing.

I passed an Uber-like car which did not move and screwed up traffic. What is my point? Maybe there’s another way. Another dream of a Modern Manhattan.

No cars, I concede. Allow taxis and Ubers. Give residents a voucher for one car. For trucks larger than 20 feet, only allow deliveries between 8 pm to 6 am. Pay the drivers double time.

Ban bikes, electric bikes, and scooters. Why would you risk anyone’s life riding a bike in midtown or downtown? Let’s have designated bike zones around parks and quiet areas from 14th Street to the Battery.

Have you ever thought of light rail? Even Newark’s got that going. How about small buses to take disabled and elderly people to their destinations in midtown? All this should be free. And safe. Come on Manhattan. Get into the 21st century.

Now, to the real reason for the congestion pricing aka tax. It is to fundraise for the MTA to spend our money like drunken sailors. I don’t mean to insult sailors. Surely, the MTA has demonstrated a remarkable legacy as a money eater. There is never a moment when the MTA is not building or repairing something in this huge network of late 19th century mass transit. It’s the ultimate money pit!

Let’s blow it up figuratively. Let’s do a cost benefit analysis and really rethink if we need all those subway lines. Can we shut some down?

Turn the stations into public shelters. During bad weather, people can walk underground to their destinations. Many cold weather cities do this. And we can make underground malls full of mom-and-pop stores that will be given favorable leases so they don’t fall victim to the high rent calamity. People will shop there if we make it safe. It will increase earnings for the city.

Can we take the good subway lines and clean them up? Can we add elevators to every stop? And how about a police officer on every train and at every station?

How about making the subways and buses free—like many other cities around the world. Here we have people jump the gates. So, it is free for them, isn’t it?

We pay fares to help the MTA in their impossible task of running the largest subway system in the world. Let’s break it down to a more manageable system augmented by pollution free light rail, buses, shuttle buses and maybe a monorail direct to our two airports. Residents can move around the city on modern, clean, and fossil free transportation.

Yeah right, how you gonna pay for this? Real easy. Charge every skyscraper extra tax for the congestion problem caused by over building. Tax them, not the cars and trucks trying to do business in NYC. Lower the number of future skyscrapers! They block the sun, and create foot and road traffic stressing the infrastructure.

Get money from the federal Infrastructure Act. This includes competitive grants for metropolitan areas to advance innovative, integrated, and multimodal solutions to congestion. Check out this link:

• Infrastructure package: Here’s what’s in it | CNN Politics

Excuse me, I gotta move my car to the alternate side of the street. And take my Mucinex-D to get rid of the pollution.