Just a few months ago, all of us in the Streetsblog newsroom were marveling at how an upstate governor — whose ascendancy was a fluke — could be such a strong supporter of congestion pricing. Time after time after time, Gov. Hochul stuck her neck out and championed the cause — one she inherited, lest we forget — even though she knew that the toll was unpopular in polls.
But since June 5, we have watched her shrink in both stature and credibility. Day by day, she has not only repudiated her prior support, but done so in increasingly bizarre ways, like saying she was concerned that the toll would affect pizza deliveries, hurt hard-working city residents (who don't generally commute by car into Manhattan anyway) and reduce the likelihood that people would drive into the city from New Jersey to go to a diner.
On Thursday, the incredible shrinking governor was again on display. First, the New York Times published a broad overview of her decision to scrap congestion pricing. The Ana Ley-penned story reminded us anew that the governor has no plan to replace congestion pricing's $1 billion revenue stream and that the transit system will fall into decay because of her decision.
Later in the day, Hochul got testy with reporters who had the temerity to ask about these twin crises. First, she claimed that she would fix the problem — not "if, but when," she said, as Streetsblog reported, though she didn't say when the "when" will be.
But then another reporter asked why the $15 toll to drive into the Central Business District is "too expensive," yet she has never pointed out that commuter rail tickets are even more expensive that that.
"I'm talking about the people who are coming in from all over and not just that one train example," she said. "People are coming in from all over, and it is expensive to pay [a $15 toll] on top of what the everyday cost of living for working men and women are."
The governor is constantly evoking the working men and women. But the data show that the average household income of a car commuter into the congestion zone is $248,000 and the median income is $161,000, more than twice the city average.
Stuff two of those commuters into a car, and each pays just $7.50.
Meanwhile, if those two commuters were to, say, take the Metro-North from Goldens Bridge to Grand Central and back for work, the round-trip is $36.50 each. Shouldn't the governor express some concern for those hard-working commuters' high cost of living?
The governor has also claimed — wrongly — that theater-goers from the suburbs are the key to success for the Great White Way. We looked into those numbers, too.
According to The Broadway League, the vast majority of theater-goers attend shows in pairs or small groups. And 15.6 percent of show attendees drive vs. 7.3 percent who take commuter rail.
But if two theater-goers take a car from the suburbs, they each pay $7.50 for the toll, on top of their average $151 ticket price, which brings a night at the theater to $158.50, before dinner and the inevitable post-show drink at Sardi's. But if those same two suburban theater lovers took the LIRR from, say, Amityville, they'll each pay $30.50 for the round-trip, bringing their ticket price to $181.50.
Not that we even need to care about Broadway goers pinching pennies; according to the same Broadway League report, the average annual household income of a Broadway theatregoer is $271,277, almost double the citywide average.
So the governor needs to get her priorities — and her data — straight. Or, as Dave Colon put it...
In other news from a pretty slow day:
- We were really upset at a terrible, car-braiined headline in Gothamist that forgot the basic journalistic responsibility to point out that “parking” spaces are “public” spaces that we can (and should) very easily repurpose for the noble goal of getting rid of rats. Instead, the increasingly suburban-focused website headlined its story, "Spanish armada of garbage bins to invade NYC parking spaces as part of 'trash revolution.'"
- So the Cybertruck is part of the culture war? What do you expect from a car modeled on weaponry that costs $80,000. If it's part of a culture war, it's the one that rich aggro-bros are waging on the rest of us. (NY Times)
- The NYPD busted more moped users and ghost car drivers in separate actions.
- Road rage in Brooklyn. (NY Post)
- The MTA's G train shutdown now moves to Phase III between Bedford-Nostrand and Bergen Street. There'll be no G service to Church, but the F train will still be running. (amNY)
- The city wants to make a school-heavy street in Crown Heights safer. We're in! (The City)
- It's time to take the RFK name off the Triboro Bridge, says NY Groove.
- Finally, talk about a Debby Downer! (NY Times)
