Rejectin' congestion.
New York Knicks legend Walt "Clyde" Frazier declared his support for congestion pricing during Wednesday night's Knicks/Clippers tilt, telling viewers that the toll made the city a much better place to get around.
"It's like congestion pricing, Mike, in the paint," Frazier said to Knicks play-by-play announcer Mike Breen before the Knicks inbounded the basketball. "I'm loving the congestion pricing, there's no traffic man, you can get around now."
Frazier, the Hall of Fame point guard who led the Knicks to their last championship in 1973, has made a second career as a flamboyant color commentator known for a dizzying array of rhyming catchphrases like "boundin' and astoundin'," "postin' and toastin'," and "swishin' and dishin'."
The loquacious color commentator is the latest New Yorker to embrace congestion pricing, which has seen its popularity increase among New York City residents has delivered safer streets, quieter streets, faster bus rides and paratransit trips, increased transit ridership and foot traffic in the city. Support for the toll rose from 32 percent to 42 percent between December and March according to polling by Sienna College, and support also jumped from 33 percent to 42 percent between February and March according to polls done by Emerson College.
MTA leadership gracefully completed the alley-oop off of Frazier's pass.
"Nobody in New York understands how to break through lanes of traffic better than Clyde Frazier, who always so gracefully sliced and diced to the hoop and is now clearly scoring with congestion relief," said MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber.
Frazier's support for the toll is more than just a mere celebrity endorsement. Few Knick legends were as closely connected with the city itself than Frazier, whose sartorial choices and swashbuckling attitude made him beloved to New Yorkers on and off the court.
And he knows what he's talking about when it comes to driving in the city, given the Rolls-Royce he often piloted on the mean streets, but he also spoke about how taking the subway was "the easy way" compared to driving:
Transit advocates also welcomed the assist from the Hall of Fame guard.
"Clyde Frazier is a career winner who knows victory when he sees it," said Riders Alliance Director of Policy and Communications Danny Pearlstein. "He's also a real New Yorkers who recognizes what a sweet triumph congestion relief is for millions of commuters."
The Knicks, who were already playing without Jalen Brunson and Miles "Deuce" McBride, also lost Cam Payne to an ankle injury early in the game and were done in by a second-half three-point barrage by Los Angeles. However, the team is still in third place in the Eastern Conference.
