Fair question. I have family in Westchester and if I'm not going to need the car for a while, I leave it up there (using Metro-North to get to/from).

But during weeks when I do need to use the car, I park on the street in my neighborhood in the East 80s, hence my concern.

I feel I do what I can to avoid clogging the streets with my car gratuitously, but would still like a fair shot at parking in my own 'hood when I have to.

Jim

Not true, at all. Not even factoring in the time-inconvenience of having to alter your commuting schedule to the two trains an hour on MNRR, and then go into Grand Central, and either get a cab, a bus, or transfer to a subway... this will add at the very least 30 minutes to any communte that is not adjacent to Grand Central. It doesn't really make sense for someone who works in a doctors office on 5th Ave and 80th st. too take the train in from Westchester.

There are other viable ways to reduce traffic.
We can make all streets in Manhattan HOV. That would mean cars cannot operate in manhattan unless they have at least 2 people in it (with exceptions for commercial vehicles). This will guarantee that traffic will be reduced by half as opposed to Congestion Pricing which just creates financial distress.

I'd say the biggest supporters of reducing traffic are people who care about public health. We have the second worst air quality in the country and it isn't going to get any better if we don't get people out of their cars.

80% of those who drive into Manhattan have a mass transit option that would take no more than 10 minutes more than driving. The majority of New Yorkers who drive are government employees who enjoy free parking. People who drive are, on average, significantly better off finaicially than people who take mass transit. Congestion pricing will create a funding stream for expanding mass transit, thus benefiting the vast majority of New Yorkers, which of course includes those of modest means.

Of course those of us who take mass transit are affected by congestion -- we are affected in terms of the air we breathe, and we are affected in terms of a reduced quality of life due to excessive traffic. I'm affected when I ride my bike and there isn't room in the street for me because it's wall to wall cars!

Residents of the outer boroughs will see their mass transit options increase with congestion pricing because that money will be a dedicated funding stream to create bus rapid transit, as well as many many other mass transit improvements.

Dave, I have to say, I don't think you've really thought this one through. There really isn't any other viable way to discourage automobile use other than congestion pricing. Only those with their heads in the sand could fail to realize that reducing traffic is essential for New York City.

There is a good reason that most new yorkers do not suppport congestion pricing. That is because it is an idiotic plan. The biggest supporters of reducing traffic are the people that drive to manhattan (not the people who take the train- who are not affected nearly as much)But most of the people who drive to manhattan at the same time cannot afford the financial burden of congestion pricing. Unfortunately Mayor Bloomberg cannot relate to that because he is worth $12 billion this year.

Maybe he needs his employers to tell them all to get back to work !!

I live on 89th St. and leave my car outside the city when I can -- but when I can't, parking is tight under the status quo. Imagine if my neighbors and I are plunged into an unrestricted competition with half the commuters from Westchester and Fairfield counties?

On NY1 the other night, someone suggested muni-meters in the boundary areas. Are you kidding me? I'd have to fight the out-of-town park-and-riders *AND* feed quarters into a machine every day? That's stupid. That's worse than a bad solution; it's an anti-solution.

Also: I grew up in Westchester, spent some time in pretty close contact with politics there and got to know some very admirable people. Brodsky's a prick politician out of central casting. I admire what he did for his daughter, but apart from that he's one of those guys who treats everyone in the room like an idiot and hates any initiative that isn't his. Failed repeatedly to get his hands on the county executive's chair so now he's one of these perpetual legislative obstructionists who live to give headaches to the real problem-solvers. His performance on the CP issue is shameful. Shut up and go away, Richard.

"You also might have added that Brodsky said, "I have an objection generally for pricing mechanisms that distribute public goods” And he added on the topic of congestion pricing and healthcare: "We ought not to be making access to these goods available on ability to pay."

Yes, he COULD have added that bit of the transcript, but would it really redound to Brodsky's favor??? My goodness! He's comparing DRIVING INTO MANHATTAN to ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE!!! Earth to Brodsky -- you're not going to die if you can't drive your car into Manhattan. Brodsky says we shouldn't make access to "public goods" dependent on the ability to pay. What a clown! Driving into Manhattan isn't a public good -- it's a public BAD. As we all well know, automobile congestion is a public health menace.

The better analogy is to cigarette smoking. We tax cigarettes heavily because cigarette smoking is a public health problem and we want to discourage people from smoking. Similarly, traffic in NYC is a public health problem and we want to discourage people from contributing to it.

The way you can tell that Brodsky is insincere in his reasons for opposing congestion pricing is how far he will reach to make his argument. This makes me all the more suspicious that he's in the pocket of parking garage owners.

In Westchester they have "residents only" parking areas. Why not just make the congestion zone into residents only parking? (Obviously loading and unloading commercial vehicles too).

Since residents of the area only own about one car for every four or five households, that would at least solve the double parking and people circling the block looking for a free space problems.

Are we allowed to change our parking laws or do we have to ask Albany "Mother may I" again??

My favorite saying about Peekskill is the second best part of going there is the view of the Hudson from the train (the best part, the view of the Hudson from the train going back to NYC!)

Can't comment on Angus' post since I've never been to Mali. I was in the Caribbean in a country one half of one percent that size.