The congestion zone starts at 60th Street and heads south, so traveling from 61st - 79th street won't even encounter the congestion pricing. This guy is dumb on so many levels.
EDIT: I just looked it up on a map and 61st is a one way going west towards Central Park, so if you enter 61st from Madison Ave, you're forced to exit at 5th Ave and go south entering the zone, which I guess is this guy's problem?. I also looked up the guy and he's a CEO Real Estate developer, so he's living in a multi-million dollar place right next to Central Park and can't afford to pay $9 because his private parking spot in his building forces him to drive into the congestion pricing zone. Come on!
I was wondering if there was more to the story. Like, maybe he has a disability and NYC doesn't have an exemption for disabilities. They do, however, have an exemption for disabilities as well as a reduced rate for low income residents. To me it sounds like this guy is just lazy.
Looking at this on Google Maps, he can get anywhere on 76th St using one bus or subway ride and a 5-10 minute walk.
Imagine if we got this sort of coverage whenever someone was inconvenienced by public transit being cut, or a bike lane being blocked, or fares being raised.
I suppose he could also have to travel down 79th a bit, but Manhattan is only about 2 miles wide anyway, right? So like...worst case scenario, a four mile walk.
Okay. That would be a significant walk. Probably an hour or two. But in NYC, how likely is it that you can get to your car, travel to your destination four miles away, find parking, and then walk to your destination (1) in less than an hour, and (2) for less than $9?
Get a bike, bro. Or hey, I hear New York has this fancy new doohickey called a "subway."
Congestion fees are a very capitalist way of solving it. This law basically exists for everyone except rich people (i,e. Those who can afford to pay fees).
All this is based on a false assumption that money has an objective value. But in reality, 1$ means different things for different classes.
Dude is complaining because even though he just lives out side of the zone he still has to pay the fee even when he travels north to 79th which is also outside zone. That area is all one way streets and if he wants to go north he has to travel south first into the zone and then he can turn around and drive to 79th. Though I have zero sympathy if you can afford to live right next to Central Park you can afford to pay the fee hundreds of times per week.
Love how this is in the one US city where you need a car the least as far as I know. You've got the subway, the sidewalks, cabs... I mean sure, the latter exists in the form of ride sharing apps basically everywhere now, but NYC had cabs even in old movies. Though I suspect most other cities of any real size had them as well
In the video clip, the guy explains he's not paying to go 18 blocks. He's paying because the one-way streets force him to go south one block, charging the $9, before he can go anywhere north. That is understandably annoying.
What I've read says that you aren't charged unless you cross the boundary. If you reside inside the zone and never leave and enter again, you won't be charged a toll.
He could walk, but I can also see why he might not want to. It's more than I would probably want to walk.
Biking is also an option, although maybe biking is uncomfortable or inconvenient for him for some reason. Also, I don't know what the biking infrastructure is like in that area. Maybe it's not ideal. I don't know if e-bikes are allowed in bike lanes, but if they are, that might be an option.
He could take the subway. That's probably what I would do, although I've never been on the New York subway. I only know about it through its portrayals in various media, which is often negative. I've heard it described as "a public toilet in rails." I can't personally speak to how accurate that is, that's just what I've heard.
I think making better cities requires a holistic approach. It's not just about having more bike lanes, or public transportation, it's about designing cities for maximum efficiency and convenience, and for the promotion of maximum health and well being. I think cars are a symptom of our skewed priorities, not necessarily the root cause of the problem themselves. I think we need to change our priorities, first and foremost.
I thought the congestion pricing starts at 60th down to the south of Manhattan. Why would he have tolls to go north, away from the congestion pricing zone? I just plugged the corner of 61st and fifth into Google with directions to 79th and told it to avoid tolls, and it plotted a direct route north with an 8 minute drive.