Nick's Comments

The toll cordon zone must extend into the FDR and West Side Highway to reduce the incentive for drivers to utilize them for circumnavigation, adding to pollution in densely populated communites. Currently, many drivers jam up Bronx highways and local streets to utilize the free Third Ave/Willis Ave Bridges in an attempt to dodge tolls on the Tri-boro and Henry Hudson bridges and access the FDR/West Side Highway. This excess congestion creates a dangerous situation where collisions are commonplace, pollution has reached dangerous levels, and the populations most affected are also the most socioeconomically vulnerable. These drivers should utilize higher capacity options and avoid the core of the city entirely.

A variable tolling scheme is most effective at discouraging driving into the city's core. The costs to enter via automobile should be most expensive during times of peak congestion, high levels of air pollution and emergency situations. An app and online website could keep up to date information on the current cost along with recently implemented digital signage along highways.

Agreed. Like London post-congestion pricing, we can reallocate road space for other uses with reduced automotive volumes. Bus only lanes, bike lanes, and plazas would be hugely beneficial to residents.

The Tri-boro RX especially has the potential to revolutionize commuting patters around the city. With so much job and population growth occurring in the outer boroughs, we need new and efficient mass transportation links between these communites.

The communities surrounding the free bridges are overburdened with automotive traffic that they cannot sustain. The Queensboro, Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridges were never designed for current volumes and should be tolled. As automotive volumes decline, moving lanes should be repurposed for buses only to provide for a BRT like experience. This would absorb local residents from the subways, freeing up space for more distant commuters.

First of all, most New Yorkers do not commute via automobile into the Manhattan Central Business District. The vast majority use public transportation, walk and bike. New Yorkers have a lot to gain from increased revenue for mass transportation improvements and reduced congestion.

Residents of the communities surrounding the free bridges and feeder roads/highways suffer from excess pollution, noise, and collisions.

If you drive into the Manhattan CBD, you currently do so at the expense of others. Local residents pay a price far higher than what you would be expected to once these tolls are enacted if you continue your habits.

Congestion pricing has proven successful internationally.

Agreed. There are so many negative externalities associated with congestion. The sooner we begin to mitigate the problem, the better. Toll balancing and a congestion charge should have been instituted long ago.

The MoveNY plan should provide a more robust parking reform plan. We need a residential parking permit system which requires NYC registration and is priced high enough to discourage ownership in core areas. We need variable parking which adjust to demand, real time information on available spaces and we need more metered spots to increase turnover. Additionally, parking should be priced much higher than it currently is, especially in prime central areas of the city. And we should allocate parking for fixed car share services (e.g. car2go), bike share (more Citi Bike), motorcycles/scooters/bicycle corrals and significantly more loading zones.

Lockboxing the revenue is an essential component of the plan.

Most Manhattan CBD workers commute via mass transportation, even from the suburbs.It will take time to expand and improve mass transportation, but we need to start somewhere. Tolling automobile trips which enter the Manhattan CBD provides a new revenue source, one which could facilitate substantial projects.

The status quo does not work and is only going to get worse. The alternative is ever worsening commutes for everyone, increased travel times, pollution, road maintenance expenditure, and more collisions. The MoveNY plan is inevitable.

georgeberberian, I cannot reply to your response on 0/28/16@7:48pm directly so I will post here.

Plenty of New Yorkers own automobiles but that is no excuse for the current tolling setup, where free bridges encourage toll shopping. Additionally, the externalities of excess automobile usage have been taking a toll on communities surrounding entry points, or even connecting highways. A small price to pay in a city where most people do not own or lease an automobile, yet suffer the ill effects of congestion.

Reverse commuting can be a hassle, but if someone lives in Battery Park City and commutes to Jersey, then they made a choice. It's highly unlikely that an automobile owner living in that area is too impoverished to afford this tolling setup.

CBTC will also improve 7 train service by increasing the number of trains per hour, and allowing the MTA to know where those trains are exactly. That 2 additional trains an hour you mention is the current estimate, but the system will be able to run even more trains in the future. Faster too.

As for London. Keep in mind that in London, congestion pricing was and still is successful. In London, officials decided to reallocate road space to pedestrians, mass transportation and bicyclists after decreases in automotive volume. So while travel times have increased since implementation, this is largely due to less space for people to drive. An increase in travel time was seen as a worthy compromise for faster transit, safety and increased pedestrianized public space. Congestion pricing has proven successful where ever implemented.

Finally collisions cause death, serious injury and monetary loss. They also create increased congestion and reduce economic activity in totality.

Thank you for the clarification. The first paragraph reads as though it may extend to the Hudson River, not that it will.

And yes I support a cordon extending from river to river.EZPass does make sense. Might as well use a common form of payment in the metropolitan area, as does camera enforcement with higher fees for those without transponders. This system will be far cheaper to set up than what is currently implemented in London.

Actually, there's a substantial population surrounding commuter rail stations within NYC. Commuter rail in NYC should be priced equal to the subway and buses, with transfers included.I would propose that immediate funding for Select Bus Service supersede Express buses.

This plan proposes to cordon the entirety of Manhattan south of 60th St. It doesn't matter where your trip originates, you will be charged if you enter that area from all directions. This includes new electronic, overhead transponders installed at all East River crossings and across 60th St from river to river.

Manhattan residents should be discouraged from automobile ownership. The borough is too densely populated to even support the current automotive volume. Manhattan residents also have excellent mass transportation options, considering our subway and metropolitan commuter rail system radiates out from Midtown.

If your friends must drive, they can either pay the toll. Alternatively, they can take mass transportation, a car share service, or bike.

FYI, the complete street reconfigurations that include parking protected bicycle lanes have improved traffic flow because they enable the implementation of turning bays. Bike lanes don't cause traffic, automobiles do. In fact, painted on street bicycle lanes and sharrows are typically disregarded by motorists. They do create awareness however and delineate road space.

Trucks double park because there aren't enough loading zones. Blame parked cars.

Could not respond to your comment at April 14, 2016 - 6:05pm directly Oldbob so I will post it here. I do in fact own a car and a motorcycle, though I typically bicycle or take the subway to work/school in Manhattan (a place I especially avoid by automobile).

The previous law required new constructions to provide a certain amount of parking space per number of units, it's called a parking minimum. The law was retracted in Manhattan south of Harlem, downtown Brooklyn, and more recently a half mile from subway stations across most of the city. It was found that providing parking encourages people to own an automobile, something the city wants to discourage and cannot support. Additionally, parking minimums costs developers despite low demand. Money spent on parking could instead be allocated towards residential or commercial units. More parking is no good for the city.Though I agree that NYC requires more mid-block crossing for pedestrians, I highly disagree that distracted pedestrians are a serious issue in NYC. Virtually all pedestrians do indeed look before crossing, even if just a glance of the eye. A much greater issue is distracted and reckless drivers who are traveling at speed, controlling large heavy objects in a congested area. Most pedestrians who are killed or serious injured in NYC in crosswalks with the right of way. This has been proven through through the quantitative collection of traffic collision statistics.

Times Square doesn't need fences either, its a highly pedestrian oriented area. The city needs congestion pricing to reduce traffic volumes and we need further traffic calming citywide.

Most New Yorkers (including the middle class) do not drive into the Manhattan CBD district on a regular basis.The middle class instead suffers from slow buses, pollution, and increased prevalence of collisions due to congestion.Tolls would reduce congestion in the core and along all paths into the core.

Take the subway or just pay the toll.

Tolling the Manhattan CBD means less congestion and more funding for transportation improvements. Imagine less pollution, collisions, and road expenditures from wear. Imagine cheaper tolls on the outer crossings.Why would anyone oppose this plan? To save a couple bucks every once and a while, but deal with all the problems mentioned (which will only get worse BTW).

@HaanCenter (04/01/16/3:42PM),

The dangers of mass transportation in NYC are highly exaggerated. You are more likely to be seriously injured or killed driving a personally owned automobile in this city. Fear of people is irrational, and NYC is the wrong place to live if you feel that way.

I'm not going to support an existing system which negatively impacts millions so that one person could drive into Manhattan for free from time to time for recreation. Think about all the people who are injured and killed due to excess congestion (especially the over-represented children, seniors, and people of color). Think about the people suffering from respiratory illness due to emission from these vehicles. Think about the vast majority of New Yorkers who do travel via mass transportation into the core and would benefit from increased funding. Think about those who commute between the Bronx<->Queens, SI<->Brooklyn who have more limited mass transportation options and would benefit from lower tolls and mass transportation improvements along those routes. Think about the people who need to access the core on a regular basis and benefit from reduced congestion.

Agreed@John Maler.

And cferrejo, the MoveNY plan does not impact drivers traveling to Brooklyn or Long Island from Queens. In fact, outer tolls would decrease in price, for example between Queens and the Bronx via the Throgs Neck Bridge. The new tolls would only affect drivers traveling into the Manhattan Central Busines District.Additionally, congestion pricing in other cities has not led to an increase in the cost of goods. In fact, deliveries are expedited thanks to reduced automotive traffic which saves businesses money.

"“…The truth is that just 5 percent of commuters in Brooklyn, Queens,Staten Island and the Bronx travel to Manhattan by private car. Peoplewho drive their cars to work also earn 30 percent more a year than thoseof us who use mass transit. It is our poor and middle-class families whowould benefit from congestion pricing—as the fees charged to driverswould be used to improve the bus and subway system. ""Of all New York City residentswhocommute to work, only 5 percent drive to theCBD. Of that 5 percent, most (80 percent) have afeasible transit alternative to get to work that wouldtake no more than 15 minutes longer than theirauto trip. Therefore, only 1 percent of Manhattanworkers lack a viable alternative to paying a congestionfee or toll. The low- and moderate-incomeworkers disproportionately impacted by a fee or atoll represent a further subgroup within this 1 percent.Legislation that was proposed for considerationby the State legislature would have providedtax credits to compensate low-income motorists foramounts that they would have to pay in excess ofthe round-trip transit fare

A large number of low- and moderate-income residents would benefit from improved transit services under any of the three revenue-generating plans: As a group, low- and moderate-income New York City residents rely more on transit for their travel needs when compared with higher income residents. Therefore, these low- and moderate-income residents would benefit more from the shortterm transit enhancements that would precede a toll or fee imposition and from the expansion of the transit system made possible by increased revenues for transit investment."

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop08040/fhwahop08040.pdf

Agreed, motorcycles and scooters should get a discount.

I own a car but rarely do I ever drive into the Manhattan central business district during peak hours. I live in the Southeast Bronx and definitely prefer to take the subway or bike. Personal automobiles should especially be limited within the CBD due to congestion and public health issues. Areas outside the CBD also need to be taken into consideration and require substantially more traffic calming and alternative uses of public space. This space could be dedicated to other uses such as: physically seperated pedestrian space, bus only lanes and bicycle lanes. Additionally, NYC should increase the number of loading zones within existing parking to reduce double parking, reconfigure streets to increase safety, and increase automated enforcement via cameras. The city needs congestion pricing, toll balancing (both MoveNY), a residential parking permit system, variable tolling, zoning that bans autocentric construction, and needs to remove parking minimums.

I should add that I utilize my car for intra-borough trips more than anything. In the Bronx we lack efficient cross-Bronx mass transportation. It can take over an hour via bus to get from neighborhoods like Castle Hill to Morris Heights.

In the Bronx we need more agressive implimentations of SBS in more locations. Physically seperated bus only lanes where feasable, off board payment, elevated platforms for those with limited mobility, traffic light priority, etc.

More protected bicycle lanes would also encourage more New Yorkers to give it a try and realize the benefits of utilization. Most trips in this city are short, and here in the Bronx many arteries have aggressive traffic with little enforcement. Traffic calming would go a long way and is happening but slowly and not aggressively enough.

Public health should be priority. All other modes (buses and bikes) should have priority of personal automobiles.

Congestion pricing should be a part of the solution. However, it should be implimented throughout the day to maintain balanced pricing of the tolls. Automobiles entering the central business district should pay the most and those utilizing outer crossings should pay comparitively less due to more limit transportation options at this time. We want them to circumvent the CBD if they do not need to enter. Perhaps in the future other commercial cores could also recieve congestion pricing boundaries, such as Downtown Brooklyn.

Ensuring the public that all collected funding would be dedicated to transportation improvements would go a long way. Additionally, a residential parking permit system could alleviate concerns about excess parking near mass transportation stations outside the CBD. As congestion further decreases, the city could begin to increasingly reallocate dedicate automotive space to other uses as occured in London.

Not exactly telecommuting but the city could work with employers to create staggard commute times. This way transportation is not overwhelmed during certain hours of the day. The traditional 9-5 is becoming obsolete, especially when taking into consideration the analytical service industries.

The city should ban automobiles from certain sections. The Financial District comes to mind as a great canidate. Additionally, many more streets should be pedestrianized and sidewalks expanded elseware.

And yes, begin to reduce subsidies for automobile ownership. This is one of the biggest problems if not number one.

The city should also implement a car2go like service and designate spots citywide (similar to Citi Bike). This could reduce ownership if the option is availble nearby and at your destination. Avaliable parking spaces could be reserved via app for a limited window.

Pedestrians are limited to very little space on average in NYC. This goes against the fact that most households do not have an automobile registered, and even less people have access to an automobile.We must dedicate more space to pedestrians, especially in areas that are bursting at the seems like 5th Ave in Midtown. Many more streets should be fully pedestrianized and sidewalks extended.As for bicycles, the city needs to create a network of bicycle lanes citywide which are physically seperated from automobile traffic where possible and streets calmed to the maximum extent where not. There are massive gaps in the existing system which typically makes it impossible to have a comfortable (safe) rider throughout. This turns a lot of people off to the option, which is unfortunate since we want more people on bikes.I should add that existing physically seperated bicycle infrastructure is normally influtrated by automobiles, sending a bad message. How many times have a seen drivers parked within parking protected bicycle lanes. The NYPD is doing a terrible job in regards to traffic safety (they themselves are often responsible).

It is important for NYC to automate traffic enforcement via technology like cameras and reconfigure streets to enhance safety and compliance. This is the most efficent way.

Automobiles are by far the biggest danger on the roads and contribute to congestion. Drivers should always be the focus of enforcement.

It's important to implement congestion pricing 24/7. If not, traffic will revert to old patterns off hours. The East River Bridges are a mess off peak as well. A variable tolling structure should maximize prices during peak congestion hours, lowering tolls at other times. They should never be free however.

Few NYC residents drive into the CBD for work, the vast majority of which being more affluent than most. Most New Yorkers are stuck in traffic on buses or crowded subway trains so that a privledged few can drive.

Residental parking permits should also be required citywide so that suburbanites do not use inner city stations in neighborhoods like Flushing and Jamaica as parking lots. Remove parking minimums to reduce the incentive of automobile owneship and varable market rate parking metering.

Finally, dedicate eventual increased road space to other purposes. I would like the city to study the feasibility of adding bus only lanes to the East River bridges and reconfigure roads to maximize pedestrian and bicyclist safety. And more pedestrianization of roads and extended sidewalks.

The MoveNY plan is necessary to address several transportation and public health issues in the metropolitan area.

The SAS phase 2 should include a provision for eventual continued expansion into the Bronx even if initially routed towards Lexington/East 125th. Service along Third Ave in the Bronx is going to be necessary sooner than later considering the continued reconstruction of the surrounding communities.CBTC is one of the most important upgrades however. Higher train frequencies with less delays and eventual automation at potentially faster speeds.

SBS requires more BRT implimentations where applicable (e.g. physically seperated lanes and elevated platforms). Additionally, the city requires significantly more SBS.

In the Bronx, several corridors should recieve the treatment. It can take over an hour to get cross town in the Bronx (e.g. Castle Hill to Morris Heights) via bus which increases the desirability of driving and congestion while reducing safety and adding pollution.I'll use myself as an example. I live in a section of the Bronx (Soundview) which is a 15-20 minute walk from the nearest subway station (St Lawrance Ave/6). I used to take the bus (BX 5) to the express Hunts Point Ave/6 subway station but it has become so crowded and slow that it has become uncompetitive to walking to the closer local (St Lawrance Ave/6). Two of the most necessary additions to this bus line in particular are off board payment and elevated platforms for those with limited physical mobility. Limiting bus stops would also make a huge difference as some are located within close proximity of one another. Waiting at bus stops takes an enormous amount of time. A huge traffic bottleneck currently is the Bruckner Expressway's Bronx River drawbridge which should be widened along the service road to include bus only lanes and adaquate seperated pedestrian/bicycle space. Opting to bike has reduced my commute time to the nearest station (St Lawrance/6 to less than 5 minutes or the preferable express station (Hunts Point/6) down the line to 10. A substantial improvemnt but this may not be an ideal situation for all. Also, poor weather (precipitation, especially snow) also makes this mode more unreliable in the winter.

Buses should always get priority.

As I mentioned under the bus tab, I live along the edge of a transportation desert (Soundview). The nearest subway station is currently 15-20 minute walk for me (1 mile) (male, late 20s). This includes an at-grade highway which requires me to utilize a pedestrian bridge and NYCHA superblocks.Subway expansion along Lafayette Avenue from points southwest would be most ideal (this is a very dense location, more so than most transit deserts). However, in the short term, SBS features should be added to local buses. Off board payment in particular would make a significant difference. Elevated platforms could improve boarding speed for those with limited physical mobility (common in this area). Less stops would improve travel times to the nearest subway station, espacially along the BX 5. The Bruckner Expressway drawbridge at the Bronx River needs a widening along the service road to add bus only lanes and appropriate bicycle/pedestrian space. This is a huge bottleneck for buses and accouts for a long period of idle time.The BX 5 should also connect to the BX 6 to offer cross-service across the entirety of the southern 1/4th of the Bronx, IMO.

Additionally, the BX 39 and 36 deal with heavy traffic along White Plains Road south of the Bruckner Expressway and would benefit from queue jumps. Also, just south of Westchester Ave traffic tends to get backed up. The BX 39 and BX 27 in particular are vital for Clason Point, a neighborhood where some points are 2 miles from the nearest rapid transit station. The BX 27 suffers from heavy usage, it is not articulated. A ferry is proposed for Clason Point but ridership depends on commute times to final destinations. If the ferry is quick enough, it could draw commuters from Soundview which is much more dense and perhaps Castle Hill. Still, SBS implimentations to the nearest subway stations would serve the largest portion of the population in the most useful way.