Comments on: The DMV fees hike in perspective

By: Benjamin Kabak

Benjamin Kabak — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:19:59 +0000

Because the money from the hike in Buffalo or Jamestown isn’t going to the MTA. The money from the hike in Buffalo and Jamestown is going to cover DMV-related budget gaps. The only money going to the MTA from the hike is that collected in the 12 downstate MTA counties.

By: ducky

ducky — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:04:06 +0000

It’s a statewide hike. Explain to me why it’s fair that people from Buffalo or Jamestown (or the surrounding communities where public transportation doesn’t exist and isn’t feasible) should subsidies a system that they don’t use.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:46:06 +0000

First, you’re not subsidizing the city. Both you and the city are subsidizing Upstate and the South.

Second, the MTA is subsidized, but so are the roads you drive on. Gas tax revenues don’t come close to covering the full construction and maintenance costs of roads. I don’t have data for New York, but in Texas, they at best cover one half the costs, and at worst cover 16%; for comparison, the subway recovers 67% of its operating and capital costs at the farebox.

Third, subsidies aside, there are other issues associated with car use. When you drive and when you take the train, you cause congestion, worsening the travel experience of other passengers. However, for cars the effect is much larger – roads get clogged; trains merely get crowded. Cars also pollute more. The extra health care costs coming from East Harlem’s asthma crisis are paid by the city, not by the people who drive cars over the Triboro Bridge.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:38:02 +0000

JAR, imagine a world in which Congress has just banned the internal combustion engine as a way of combating global warming, buses and farm machinery excepted. Suddenly, there would be more demand for buses, which means that the LI buses would run every 10 minutes rather than one hour. They’d also run faster since there wouldn’t be cars on the road. Big box stores would raise prices a little and offer free delivery, as they did before car ownership became widespread.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:32:58 +0000

Leaving in droves? Staten Island is one of the few parts of the Northeast with faster population growth than the national average.

By: Alon Levy

Alon Levy — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:31:42 +0000

If federal and state income taxes followed the same principle of going to the localities, New York City would’ve been about $20 billion richer.

By: Boris

Boris — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:07:54 +0000

Highway taxes are even better hidden, since many of them are non-monetary (time, health) or taken from some lump of money as decided by a distant Congressman. If we had posters detailing money paid for projects on the BQE, the way they do in New Jersey, drivers will be having heart attacks from looking at the amounts.

Ultimately I agree with you, though. Driving should work through a pay-per-use fee.

By: Kai

Kai — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:50:50 +0000

Also many parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx. These boroughs certainly have areas where this isn’t true, but you can’t tell me you need a car in Williamsburg.

By: A Westchester Reader

A Westchester Reader — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:42:06 +0000

While I can understand the sentiment, it’s very close to a necessity to have a car when living in many parts of Westchester. Certain parts have little to no public transportation (in my neck of the woods, the only bus runs once every two hours, and not on Sunday) — so a car is a tremendous help. When in the city, I find MTA serves me well enough, but the irony is, wear & tear aside, it’s practically cheaper for me to drive into the city than to take Metro-North. I have colleagues who *hate* NYC, so while I do appreciate MTA enough, it’s no joy for any around here to have to subsidize this financial black hole out of fees that I pay to just get around my area.

By: Streetsblog New York City » Today’s Headlines

Streetsblog New York City » Today’s Headlines — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:19:17 +0000

[...] Motorists Grumbling About Higher Vehicle Fees to Fund MTA, Roads (City Room, 2nd Ave Sagas) [...]