Comments on: MTA Source: If congestion pricing fails, expect more fare hikes

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:56:38 +0000

steve: You’re sucking at the tit of the government every day by using public roads for your private vehicle.

By: Benjamin Kabak

Benjamin Kabak — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:37:25 +0000

Play nice, steve, or you won’t play at all. There’s no need for calling people jerks or any other name around here.

By: steve

steve — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 22:44:48 +0000

bye the way chris i’m glad you don’t drive.you don’t seem to be any good except sucking at the tit on government

By: steve

steve — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:54:28 +0000

chris you really are a jerk first of all tolls are collected when you enter nyc. second there is an 18% tax on parking. third when i buy gas in ny there is a tax per gallon.so i guess i pay more taxes than you do yet you cry because the subway fare went up well suck it up demowit the $5.00 fare is just around the corner enjoy the second ave subway

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:40:41 +0000

steve: Um, what do you think my tax dollars pay for? I don’t drive, but by paying taxes, I subsidize your drive every day by funding road maintenance.

By your logic, you should pay a toll to drive on EVERY road. It’s only fair.

By your logic, the share of my tax dollars that goes to transportation should only go to mass transit. I’m sure you’d be thrilled when you get stuck in a 4-foot-deep pothole on the BQE.

By: steve

steve — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:28:43 +0000

if the people who ride mass transit want new subways and buses you should pay for it. nobody subsidizes my tolls, gas, or parking.why should the motorist subsidize you subway or bus ride. dig deep the $5.00 fare is coming

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 09:12:11 +0000

I don’t know about maintenance, but wages are higher in France than in the US, due to strong, aggressive unions.

Capital costs, I don’t know about. But a clue that New York is incredibly expensive comes from an article I read a few months ago about Tokyo’s inability to cope with its high mass transit usage. The system was mature, public officials explained, and at any rate, it cost 50 billion yen to dig just one kilometer of new subway. That’s 500 million dollars per kilometer. The projected cost of the full SAS right now is about $1.3 billion per kilometer; the 7 extension is at $1b/km.

By: Marc Shepherd

Marc Shepherd — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:28:41 +0000

I’m not entirely sure whether the Paris and Madrid situations are comparable. You’d need to look at labor and capital costs there, versus New York. You’d also need to look at how much of a public subsidy they receive.

One thing that makes NY unique is the extremely long period of under-investment. For about 40 years, coinciding mostly with the Moses era, there were practically no routine upgrades or systematic replacement of equipment past its useful life. We’re paying for that now. I’ll bet you there are 100 NYC subway stations that are in worse condition than the worst Paris station.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:13:31 +0000

Scott, the systems in Paris and Madrid cost substantially less. In Paris the fare is about one sixth lower than in New York, and in Madrid it’s about the same if you want to get from any zone to any zone but only half as much if you stay within the central zone.

By: Scott C

Scott C — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:35:03 +0000

While the notion of fare hikes always sucks, if the trade off is new subway cars, rehabilitated stations, and better service, I say raise the fares. The NYC subway is one of the best transit deals in the country, if not the world. For $2 you can go almost anywhere in the city (even less if you purchase a monthly card as you demonstrated). Try that in D.C. The D.C. metro can cost almost $5 one way during rush hours and it doesn’t run 24 hours.

Personally, I think congestion pricing is a fantastic idea and has been proven to work in London. Since the MTA needs the money and Albany doesn’t want to properly fund the MTA or anything else in the city, it really needs to be passed.