Comments on: What $13 Billion Looks Like http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/ Covering the New York City Streets Renaissance Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:32:54 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: crzwdjk http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/comment-page-1/#comment-31124 crzwdjk Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:15:01 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/#comment-31124 Dan: your math is off. It's $300 per month, not per year. If you divide $300 by the average 23 working days per month, you get $13 per day. This makes the total cost of fuel and parking $19 per day. A monthly commuter rail pass plus Metrocard is cheaper than this, pretty much for anywhere that commuter rail goes. Dan: your math is off. It's $300 per month, not per year. If you divide $300 by the average 23 working days per month, you get $13 per day. This makes the total cost of fuel and parking $19 per day. A monthly commuter rail pass plus Metrocard is cheaper than this, pretty much for anywhere that commuter rail goes.

]]> By: Christine Berthet http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/comment-page-1/#comment-31123 Christine Berthet Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:06:59 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/#comment-31123 What this charts misses is the health cost pedestrain safety alone would be a $ 1 billion annually. the asthma and lung diseases costs woudl be staggering and it politically sells much better than these numbers we need your help in developping those rapidly What this charts misses is the health cost
pedestrain safety alone would be a $ 1 billion annually.

the asthma and lung diseases costs woudl be staggering and it politically sells much better than these numbers

we need your help in developping those rapidly

]]> By: Angus Grieve-Smith http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/comment-page-1/#comment-31118 Angus Grieve-Smith Wed, 25 Apr 2007 04:03:56 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/#comment-31118 $28,260 a year, Glenn? That's an amazing number. It'd be cheaper just to <a href="http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=15340" rel="nofollow">buy them all cars</a> ... oh wait. I'd like to see the cost per taxpayer of all that congestion. $28,260 a year, Glenn? That's an amazing number. It'd be cheaper just to buy them all cars ... oh wait.

I'd like to see the cost per taxpayer of all that congestion.

]]> By: Dan http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/comment-page-1/#comment-31116 Dan Wed, 25 Apr 2007 02:49:00 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/#comment-31116 Can someone do the math on the average cost of car ownership in the city. Parking + Insurance + Car Payments + Gas + Maintenance = ? I don't even know HOW to drive so I'm at a loss, but Imagining that people drive 10-15 Miles to work(I think this is very conservative but lets talk NYC). That's at least a gallon of gas per direction at $3.00 that's about $6.00 per day just in fuel costs. Assuming an annual insurance cost of $2000(I got this from a money magazine article) that's about $5.50 per day. So that's $11.50 per day without factoring parking or general auto maintenance. IF you find a super cheap lot and pay around $300 per month in parking that's another .82 cents per day. Bringing the total above $12.00 for a short commute with parking. I can barely afford to pay $4 per day for my metrocard(less cause it's a 30 day card). Those poor bastards can't afford to pay another dime. Can someone do the math on the average cost of car ownership in the city. Parking + Insurance + Car Payments + Gas + Maintenance = ?

I don't even know HOW to drive so I'm at a loss, but Imagining that people drive 10-15 Miles to work(I think this is very conservative but lets talk NYC). That's at least a gallon of gas per direction at $3.00 that's about $6.00 per day just in fuel costs. Assuming an annual insurance cost of $2000(I got this from a money magazine article) that's about $5.50 per day. So that's $11.50 per day without factoring parking or general auto maintenance. IF you find a super cheap lot and pay around $300 per month in parking that's another .82 cents per day. Bringing the total above $12.00 for a short commute with parking. I can barely afford to pay $4 per day for my metrocard(less cause it's a 30 day card). Those poor bastards can't afford to pay another dime.

]]> By: Glenn http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/comment-page-1/#comment-31114 Glenn Wed, 25 Apr 2007 02:04:20 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/#comment-31114 So let's do a quick back of the envelope calculation: Let's assume 5 million commuters since I don't have that number in front of me, that would mean that 230,000 (4.6% of the total) NYC residents Let's say NYC residents are half of the cause of congestion and suburbanites are the other half - $6.5 billion a piece. That means 230,000 are costing the rest of the city $28,260 a year in extra economic costs. If you assume 260 wroking days a year, then the more appropriate cost would be something more like $110/day. $8 seems like a bargain. If someone has better assumptions to plug into the little model I created, please let me know. The appropriate economic calculation should figure out the marginal costs and benefits to society of allowing auto commuters. The marginal costs of a few hundred thousand extra motorists seems fairly high and the marginal benefit seems to only accumulate to their own private comfort and convenience, not the rest of the public. So let's do a quick back of the envelope calculation:

Let's assume 5 million commuters since I don't have that number in front of me, that would mean that 230,000 (4.6% of the total) NYC residents

Let's say NYC residents are half of the cause of congestion and suburbanites are the other half - $6.5 billion a piece.

That means 230,000 are costing the rest of the city $28,260 a year in extra economic costs. If you assume 260 wroking days a year, then the more appropriate cost would be something more like $110/day. $8 seems like a bargain.

If someone has better assumptions to plug into the little model I created, please let me know.

The appropriate economic calculation should figure out the marginal costs and benefits to society of allowing auto commuters. The marginal costs of a few hundred thousand extra motorists seems fairly high and the marginal benefit seems to only accumulate to their own private comfort and convenience, not the rest of the public.

]]> By: P http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/comment-page-1/#comment-31105 P Tue, 24 Apr 2007 20:05:40 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/#comment-31105 t- Take a look here: http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/01/12/the-times-is-a-changin/ There might be an phenomenon similar to working people who advocate tax cuts for the rich: one day they'll take advantage of that unfairness! t- Take a look here:
http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/01/12/the-times-is-a-changin/

There might be an phenomenon similar to working people who advocate tax cuts for the rich: one day they'll take advantage of that unfairness!

]]> By: t http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/comment-page-1/#comment-31103 t Tue, 24 Apr 2007 19:35:40 +0000 http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/04/24/what-13-billion-looks-like/#comment-31103 That 4.6% figure is amazing. So small! Any idea where most of those working New Yorkers commuting to Manhattan by car are commuting from? That's the kind of figure that would shoot down a lot of the politicians who claim that their constituents are overwhelmingly against congestion pricing. That 4.6% figure is amazing. So small! Any idea where most of those working New Yorkers commuting to Manhattan by car are commuting from? That's the kind of figure that would shoot down a lot of the politicians who claim that their constituents are overwhelmingly against congestion pricing.

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