this post was submitted on 06 Jan 2025
754 points (96.4% liked)

Fuck Cars

9875 readers
240 users here now

A place to discuss problems of car centric infrastructure or how it hurts us all. Let's explore the bad world of Cars!

Rules

1. Be CivilYou may not agree on ideas, but please do not be needlessly rude or insulting to other people in this community.

2. No hate speechDon't discriminate or disparage people on the basis of sex, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or sexuality.

3. Don't harass peopleDon't follow people you disagree with into multiple threads or into PMs to insult, disparage, or otherwise attack them. And certainly don't doxx any non-public figures.

4. Stay on topicThis community is about cars, their externalities in society, car-dependency, and solutions to these.

5. No repostsDo not repost content that has already been posted in this community.

Moderator discretion will be used to judge reports with regard to the above rules.

Posting Guidelines

In the absence of a flair system on lemmy yet, let’s try to make it easier to scan through posts by type in here by using tags:

Recommended communities:

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 day ago

Someone should tell these people about gasoline (or electricity) if they think "having to pay to use your car" is an insane notion.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

I asked Google and told me that's like one mile distance.

This fucker is serious that he has no other way of traveling that then by car?

I bet taking the car actually takes longer if there's any traffic at all.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Driving in Manhattan is for truck deliveries and taxis only.

If you try to drive a car from point to point in Manhattan, you're an asshole.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago

That goes for every densely populated city. In Europe we have similar problems and still there are those SUV Assholes driving their cars in areas even delivery vehicles fear to enter. (Imagine Roads made for horse carriages... they are now one way and barely fit those dick extensions)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

25 years ago, I felt safer riding a bicycle in Manhattan than I did in Boston...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

The one time I was in NYC, I was flabbergasted by the traffic because it was literally the opposite of what I expected from hearing about it and having seen jokes about it for literally my entire life.

There was basically no cars on the road, but so many people on the sidewalk it was hard to walk anywhere unless you walked in the street. Also everytime I hailed a cab to go somewhere thinking it was pretty far, they would be like "Bruh! You don't need to pay me for that, it's literally just down the street!" So I ended up walking all over the city and never taking any kind of vehicle.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Congestion fees are a very capitalist way of solving it. This law basically exists for everyone except rich people (i,e. Those who can afford to pay fees).

All this is based on a false assumption that money has an objective value. But in reality, 1$ means different things for different classes.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 17 hours ago

In NYC in particular though, I have a feeling that very few low income people drive into Manhatten instead of taking transit.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (3 children)

According to Wikipedia "Low-income residents receive a 50 percent discount on daytime tolls after their first ten trips into the congestion zone in a calendar month". So to some extent the system does take your concern into account.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 days ago (9 children)

Yes but the money goes 100% to public transit so it benefits the lower income public transport commuters too.

load more comments (9 replies)
[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 days ago

I mean, you are right and the fee should be proportional to wealth, but it is not gonna affect the poor people because they use the public transit. Maybe anywhere else in the US may be true that "even the homeless need/have a car" but NYC would be the exception.

[–] [email protected] 240 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I looked on the map. That overlooks Central Park.

If your home overlooks Central Park, I'm pretty sure you can afford a congestion charge.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

You don't get rich enough to afford such a location by paying fees that benefit others.

[–] [email protected] 95 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Some of the most frugal, penny pitching people I know are also some of the wealthiest people I know.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 226 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Dude: "I wish traffic in my area wasn't so bad"

Genie: "Ok, people driving in your area will be financially penalized for using their car instead of public transit, therefore alleviating traffic."

Dude: "hey wait, I want an exception made for me! I am special. I am the main character, I should be the only one driving a car!"

Genie: "That was your third wish. Goodbye."

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago
[–] [email protected] 190 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

The congestion zone starts at 60th Street and heads south, so traveling from 61st - 79th street won't even encounter the congestion pricing. This guy is dumb on so many levels.

EDIT: I just looked it up on a map and 61st is a one way going west towards Central Park, so if you enter 61st from Madison Ave, you're forced to exit at 5th Ave and go south entering the zone, which I guess is this guy's problem?. I also looked up the guy and he's a CEO Real Estate developer, so he's living in a multi-million dollar place right next to Central Park and can't afford to pay $9 because his private parking spot in his building forces him to drive into the congestion pricing zone. Come on!

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What I've read says that you aren't charged unless you cross the boundary. If you reside inside the zone and never leave and enter again, you won't be charged a toll.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Even better, he's north of the boundary. It ends at 60th st.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

I think his complaint is that he lives outside the boundary (on 61st at 5th) but that because of one way streets he is forced into the tolled area even if he wants to go the other way.

[–] [email protected] 151 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Isn't the point of the congestion fee to relieve congestion? Each person that says "this fee is stupid & I'm not paying" is one less vehicle in the area.

Sounds like a win.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Awww he might have to go on the big scary subway and desk with the poors.. A sad day indeed

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (3 children)

He could save his $2.75 and avoid it by... walking.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 100 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (10 children)

I was wondering if there was more to the story. Like, maybe he has a disability and NYC doesn't have an exemption for disabilities. They do, however, have an exemption for disabilities as well as a reduced rate for low income residents. To me it sounds like this guy is just lazy.

Looking at this on Google Maps, he can get anywhere on 76th St using one bus or subway ride and a 5-10 minute walk.

Zero sympathy.

load more comments (10 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›