The MoveNY plan for was an interesting attempt at addressing the issues of NYC’s commuters. Currently, an issue that impacts many commuters daily is congestion on the subway and the bridges into the city. The MoveNY proposes a recalculation of the bridge tolls in order to decrease this congestion by encouraging the use of other alternative transportation, such as subway and pedestrian bridges. Moreover, the plan hopes to provide a fairer system for more of the city’s residents by lowering tolls where there is less traffic and a shortage of transit options and increasing tolls where the opposite is true. In addition, the plan is asking each commuter to contribute to the maintenance of the infrastructure they benefit from on a daily basis.
This may not play well with the drivers who would consider this increase a new “tax” on them. Furthermore, discouraging driving and encouraging people to use the subways without improving the crowded conditions in the subways at the moment would serve to increase congestion there instead. An interesting idea proposed is the construction of a line from Brooklyn, through Queens, and up to the Bronx. Such a plan could take billions of dollars and, considering the Second Avenue Subway’s construction time, possibly another decade. Until this and other alternatives are put into place, riders would have to deal with worse conditions to improve those of the roads.
Pooneet Thaper
