Am I the only one who thinks that it’s COMPLETELY INSANE to drive through Manhattan if you’re on your way somewhere else? I mean, it’s only one of the most densely inhabited, most congested plots of land on the planet. It’s definitely a destination and not a thruway. My advice: find an alternate route. And if it’s still worth it to you to plow on through the heart of the city, pay your fair share for the privilege.

The parkway is co-owned by NYC Parks and NYS DOT, but maintained by City DOT. The pedestrian and vehicular streets are owned by City DOT. (For people interested in the complex jurisdiction of parkways, see the study by Sam Schartz posted on http://www.riverdalenature.org). The Scenic Byway program is part of State DOT, but Comall agencies with jurisdiction must cooperate on a corridor management plan in order to make the nomination. All of the parties were on board, NYMTC had secured the funding, and then halfway through the process, the wall collapsed and City DOT called for a halt. The ball is in City DOT’s court, and, as I said earlier, it is baffling why they would decline the opportunity to a) take advantage of a new source of federal funding for landscaping and greenways, b) gain a cooperative partner in the state, c) secure the only real tool for controlling billboards, and d) nurture a private partnership like the Central Park Conservancy (or Bronx River Parkway Conservancy, Merritt Parkway Conservancy.)

All of the city council members in the parkway corridor (Brewer, Dickens, Jackson, Koppell) supported congestion pricing. The state representatives are wobbly.

Come on, DOT, throw them a bone! Show them that the main arterial through their parks and neighborhoods will not only be less congested, but more scenic and with the most beautiful greenway in the city, leading all the way up to Albany!

In any case, I don’t think if we were talking about congestion pricing for bicycles and electric bikes the discussion would go very far unless the riders continuously eat massive amounts of onions, garlic, and beans.

Probably, most importantly, congestion pricing is a great example of how quality of life can be greatly improved while reducing emissions and a key strategy for mitigating a daunting crisis.

That the quality of life improvement is many times greater than the emissions benefit makes it all the more important in disrupting wasteful business as usual practices much for the better.

I brought up that exact issue with Dinowitz last year and he got offended at the suggestion that this is a class issue.

As long as affluent Riverdale drivers want to drive through working class Kingsbridge to take the free bridge into Manhattan, no problem. But once CP kicks in and the Henry Hudson toll is no longer a disincentive, more people will drive through Riverdale instead of going through Kingsbridge.

Something about correcting an unjust situation (wealthy people using the free bridge further away instead of paying to use the local tolled bridge) to improve the quality of life for the working class really ticked him off.

In the Kheel Plan report, we “monetized” (put a dollar value on) all of the main categories of benefits from reduced traffic: less carbon pollution, less air pollution, less noise pollution, less time stuck in traffic, fewer crashes, more physical activity (bike/walk). By our calculus, the time savings came to $3.9 billion a year, while the carbon reductions were “worth” only $40 million — there’s my 100-to-1.

The Commission’s plan would show different numbers, but it’s highly likely that the *ratios* would be similar.

It’s true that “judgment” entered into the calculus — judgment about the value of time, the value of carbon reductions, etc. etc. Our assumptions are summarized in the report and are laid out in edifying/stultifying detail in the BTA spreadsheet (Cost-Benefit tab). Take a look!

Further, in many instances time savings directly translates not only to dollars but also emissions such as for taxi drivers and truck drivers.

And in January, I led the Kheel team in publicizing the idea of a $16 toll (charged 24-7, not 12-5) bankrolling free buses and subways. So, been there, doomed that.

But I love the idea that my going public with *anything* pertaining to congestion pricing could be the end of it. That power ain’t available to me.

Seriously … if any S’bloggers want to look at my numbers (which I *would* love), download the BTA spreadsheet from the Kheel link in my post, go to the Summary tab, navigate to Policy Choices (row 15), and input these values in the blue column: #1 (cordon fee), $2.07; #3 (truck fee multiple), 1.75; the number zero for #4, #5 and #6; the number 100% for #7 and #8. This should result in Cell K32 outputting as “(10,000)”, denoting 10,000 more daily car trips. Now go to the cost-Benefit tab. Cells H71 and H91 should each output as negative $70 million, denoting $140 million in increased time costs due to the 10,000 additional car trips. Voila!

“Your vehicle will slowdown the 600 vehicles behind you by 6 seconds equivalent to 3,600 total delay seconds and 1.0 hours of lost time.”

This way people will see their direct effect on current traffic and hopefully act accordingly.

The Henry Hudson Parkway is a state-owned highway. Not the city’s job.