Earth to President Trump: Don't cancel congestion pricing!
A new poll by Morning Consult shows that 59 percent of voters say the former Queens man should “allow congestion pricing in New York City to continue,” the polling company said in a statement.
No, congestion pricing hasn't suddenly become popular — only 27 percent of New York State voters support it, according to the poll, which is similar to the results of a December Siena survey — but people clearly see that it's working:
- Most important: 37 percent of New York City respondents support the toll, which is up from 32 percent in the Siena study.
- When asked if congestion pricing has led to faster commutes into and out of Manhattan, 39 percent of respondents agreed, but only 27 percent disagreed.
- Three in four voters who regularly drive into the central business district say they experience faster commutes into and out of Manhattan. That speaks volumes (as in lower traffic volumes).
Morning Consult said its survey comprised 1,203 registered voters in New York State who were queried between Jan. 31 and Feb. 3. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
No one initially jumped on the survey except Harlem World Magazine, which printed the press release. We hope more outlets will look at it today.
It follows another poll that was sent to us by a new group called the Third Avenue Institute. In that poll, voters were deeply divided, depending on if they drive (79 percent of drivers oppose it) or if they take transit, walk or bike (66 percent support).
A majority of Manhattan and Brooklyn residents support the toll, but most residents of the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island oppose it, the survey said.
In other news:
- Speaking of congestion pricing, Sen. Kristen Gillibrand was on NY1 saying the kind of crazy, uniformed stuff that people who get around everywhere by car and who don't live in New York City say when asked to explain why they oppose a simple toll that is so clearly working.
- Tired of linking congestion pricing to crime, now the Post is linking it to trade wars, calling people "hypocrites" if they support the pollution- and traffic-reducing, and transit-boosting, toll yet also oppose President Trump's tariffs. Huh?
- Cops say they nabbed the kids who took the R train on a joyride. (NYDN)
- The rat-hating mayor can't even evict the varmints from his own home. (NYDN)
- And, finally, a long last entry to today's headlines:
Another day, another dead senior citizen whose name may be in the papers for a day, but will be forgotten soon enough ... when she's replaced by another one.
According to police, a 65-year-old woman was run down and killed by a truck driver at the dangerous corner of Franklin Avenue and E. 168th Street in the Bronx at around 9 a.m. on Monday morning. (The Daily News and amNY covered it.)
Police offered limited initial information, saying only that the victim, whose name was not released, was in a crosswalk, but not whether it was the crosswalk on Franklin or on E. 168th.
But cops did say that the truck driver was not arrested. And that's no surprise for two reasons: 1. drivers are almost never arrested even in fatal crashes, and the most they are ever hit with are traffic tickets for "failure to exercise due care" and 2. killer drivers stalk us every day and few politicians at the top levels of government seem to care.
For instance, the driving record on the truck shows that its operator racked up one speeding ticket and two red light tickets last year, as part of a record that comprises two speeding tickets and four red light camera violations since 2020. The person who killed the senior on Monday may not have been the driver in those instances, but the owner of the truck should certainly demand safety from his employees.
And the city should revoke licenses from company with such reckless drivers. Imagine being hit by the driver of a 10,000 semi-truck going 11 or more miles per hour over the speed limit (the threshold for getting one of those camera tickets)?
The story reminded me of a conversation I had on Smith Street in Brooklyn on Saturday. I had just witnessed an older lady — roughly 70 — nearly get hit by the driver of a turning car who was impatient at the speed at which she crossed the street. She was frightened, so I coasted over to her and asked if she was all right. Her response? "Frankly, I'm much more scared of the e-bikes."
I first sympathized, and then reminded her that in 2024, car and truck drivers injured 7,483 pedestrians, or 20 pedestrians every single day, according to city stats. Over the same period, e-bike and e-scooter riders injured 266.
The real danger is out there: car and truck drivers. It's up to city, state and (dare I say it) federal officials to do something. Call your elected officials. Demand safe streets.
