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The MTA recently increased their charges to stave off an "impending budgetary deficit" --- in 2010??!! I think that's as much bullshit as the congestion pricing. Keep in mind that I don't drive into the city myself and haven't driven my car since the week before Thanksgiving - yes, the battery's still dead. But, the MTA won't be getting much money from the hikes, so there will be no visible improvements for our public transport system in NY or NJ.
So, we in NJ commuting into NY have to pay for the upgrades on the MTA via the subways, and the upgrades to who knows what via the extra costs of the tolls, and the NJ Transit just increased their fares on buses, light rails and trains throughout the state. Granted, some of the areas from Long Island might be affected (Queens/Mid-Town Tunnel), but not nearly to the extent that NJ commuters will be. Small bits of monies that are garnered from the congestion pricing will go to the MTA, but not that much. After all, the Port Authority and the MTA aren't connected. Even the Port Authority and NYC's infratstructure and ConEd (as everyone knows all too well) aren't really connected or related - they're all different entities. But the extra government money that's "coming" and "promised"... where's that headed? Has a target been cross-haired?
The purpose and my primary beef with this whole thing is not the extra money charged per se, but that there is no specific guarantee on how the money will be used. They're calling it congestion pricing solely because that's the buzz word (stolen from London), not to reduce traffic in the city. This is not a green solution and notice that the green groups aren't behind it at all because they know that it's not about that!!
So in review for 2007 / 2008 commuting costs:
- NJ Transit increased their fares by $10/month on many bus lines (this hit me - that's an extra $120 annually).
- The NY MTA increased their fares, reducing savings on the metro cards by $2.00 per card, which translates to a $4.00 increase twice a month, hence $8.00, thus $96 annually.
- The PATH system increased its rates by $0.25 per ride, which translates to possibly $3.00 extra a month, thus $36.
Between the beginning of 2007 when I started using mass transit more frequently and daily, my annual expenditure has increased by as little as $250 annually. That's substantial. My annual commute is now $1860 for the basic commute without my car.
Then add in the periodic trips into Manhattan if we enter via the Lincoln Tunnel, which we would probably no longer use because of the charge. Say we go in 4 times a month via car, which is actually kind of conservative. That would be adding $32 a month, or $384 a year - and that's a conservative estimate.
Oh, and don't let us forget that the NY Waterways has also increased its fares by up to $2.00 per ride. I sometimes take that from bowling home and Matt picks me up on the NJ side. That's $7.50 one way. If he's coming into the city instead of driving in, that's $15 roundtrip plus parking for $9.00; i.e. $24 just for him. If we're both going in via ferry, it's $39 total just to get into and out of the city via ferry, which is cost-prohibitive, and in fact cheaper for us to drive in - thwarting what's insinuated by the whole "congestion pricing" to begin with.
And on our side of the Hudson, NJ is doing NOTHING to improve its infrastructure in the near future to get people into the city in a cheaper, more convenient and green fashion, except perhaps building a new tunnel, which would also be a toll entrance to Manhattan. This is the first time I've taken time to write down all these things with the price tags, and it's finally pissing me off - not necessarily for me (though I could put the extra $250 a year to better use), but for people who barely afford their commute now; e.g. single moms, people with low salaries. Within our current recession and these base price hikes (not to mention the other costs across our nation including gas and food prices), how are we to stay out of a depression?
So, we in NJ commuting into NY have to pay for the upgrades on the MTA via the subways, and the upgrades to who knows what via the extra costs of the tolls, and the NJ Transit just increased their fares on buses, light rails and trains throughout the state. Granted, some of the areas from Long Island might be affected (Queens/Mid-Town Tunnel), but not nearly to the extent that NJ commuters will be. Small bits of monies that are garnered from the congestion pricing will go to the MTA, but not that much. After all, the Port Authority and the MTA aren't connected. Even the Port Authority and NYC's infratstructure and ConEd (as everyone knows all too well) aren't really connected or related - they're all different entities. But the extra government money that's "coming" and "promised"... where's that headed? Has a target been cross-haired?
The purpose and my primary beef with this whole thing is not the extra money charged per se, but that there is no specific guarantee on how the money will be used. They're calling it congestion pricing solely because that's the buzz word (stolen from London), not to reduce traffic in the city. This is not a green solution and notice that the green groups aren't behind it at all because they know that it's not about that!!
So in review for 2007 / 2008 commuting costs:
- NJ Transit increased their fares by $10/month on many bus lines (this hit me - that's an extra $120 annually).
- The NY MTA increased their fares, reducing savings on the metro cards by $2.00 per card, which translates to a $4.00 increase twice a month, hence $8.00, thus $96 annually.
- The PATH system increased its rates by $0.25 per ride, which translates to possibly $3.00 extra a month, thus $36.
Between the beginning of 2007 when I started using mass transit more frequently and daily, my annual expenditure has increased by as little as $250 annually. That's substantial. My annual commute is now $1860 for the basic commute without my car.
Then add in the periodic trips into Manhattan if we enter via the Lincoln Tunnel, which we would probably no longer use because of the charge. Say we go in 4 times a month via car, which is actually kind of conservative. That would be adding $32 a month, or $384 a year - and that's a conservative estimate.
Oh, and don't let us forget that the NY Waterways has also increased its fares by up to $2.00 per ride. I sometimes take that from bowling home and Matt picks me up on the NJ side. That's $7.50 one way. If he's coming into the city instead of driving in, that's $15 roundtrip plus parking for $9.00; i.e. $24 just for him. If we're both going in via ferry, it's $39 total just to get into and out of the city via ferry, which is cost-prohibitive, and in fact cheaper for us to drive in - thwarting what's insinuated by the whole "congestion pricing" to begin with.
And on our side of the Hudson, NJ is doing NOTHING to improve its infrastructure in the near future to get people into the city in a cheaper, more convenient and green fashion, except perhaps building a new tunnel, which would also be a toll entrance to Manhattan. This is the first time I've taken time to write down all these things with the price tags, and it's finally pissing me off - not necessarily for me (though I could put the extra $250 a year to better use), but for people who barely afford their commute now; e.g. single moms, people with low salaries. Within our current recession and these base price hikes (not to mention the other costs across our nation including gas and food prices), how are we to stay out of a depression?
