Problem summary

First, I was exposed to the problem of traffic congestion in New York City by an astute MIT-trained economics professor at Queens College (CUNY): Dr. Michael Dohan. In his price and distribution theory class (during my first master’s program), he suggested many economic ideas to tackle the problem. In fact, he approached me to write a thesis on the problem of traffic congestion in New York for my master’s program (concentration in Economics). (For the sake of outreach, I chose another ‘non-traditional’ topic for my thesis).

Later, I began extensive research on the problem of traffic congestion in New York City (New York City traffic problem). The socioeconomic costs of New York’s traffic problem are increasing exponentially each year. The socioeconomic costs will be costly for everyone if we do not quickly and cautiously address the New York City transportation challenges highlighted in the following quote:
In New York City, the biggest infrastructure challenge is our transportation system. Our mass transit system transports one-third of America’s commuters every day via commuter rail, subways, and buses. We have 7 million trips a day and we are at capacity. There has been no expansion of our system since the 1940s. Similarly, the streets and highways that serve New York City have not grown and there is little scope for expansion (Wylde, 2007, paragraph 2).

Causes of the problem

Limited resources

Currently, New York City has ‘many irons in the fire’. In other words, it is subsidizing (at least requested by Forest City Ratner) Atlantic Yard projects to the tune of $ 200 million (Naparstek, 2005). According to distinguished Queens College professor and World Trade Center consultant, Harvard-trained Dr. Martin D. Hanlon, the new World Trade Center will cost NYC more than $ 10 billion. Similarly, according to Wylde (2007), the construction of the announced well (by local media) of the new subway line on 2nd Avenue in Manhattan is estimated to be equivalent to the cost of the construction of the new World Trade Center. These huge capital projects will take years to complete. If we learn anything from the Iraq War / Project / Fiasco, the costs will be higher than the original calculations / estimates.

Short term thinking

During the flight from urban centers to suburbs after World War II through the 1970s, New York City’s transportation system remained stagnant and / or reversed. The implementation of public policies was oriented towards the transportation systems of the suburbs and upstate New York. From the mid-1980s to the present, the population of New York has rebounded to the number of more than 8 million residents. New York remains the de facto capital of the world where millions of people visit the city through regional airports. For example, La Guardia Airport (LGA) processed 25 million passengers annually while John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) processed more than 40 million passengers annually. Millions more people commute daily to work in the world’s financial center from the Tri-State and Pennsylvania areas. Despite the current influx of people, goods, and services into New York City, as demonstrated in the previous paragraph, New York City takes a long time to make long-term / visionary improvements to its transportation system. and infrastructure. For example, yellow taxi traffic can be greatly reduced if a train system similar to the MARTA train system in Atlanta, Georgia connects Manhattan to LGA.

Effect of the problem

Economic costs

Again, the socio-economic costs will be costly for everyone involved, as indicated in the following quote:
“So today, as a result of the limitations of our transit system and our highways and roads, traffic congestion is one of the greatest threats to our city’s competitiveness and its ability to attract business and talent to New York. No we’re sure what the tipping point is, but there will come a time
when it is simply too inconvenient, unreliable and too expensive to conduct business in our central business districts due to the difficulty of moving goods and people “(Wylde, 2007, para. 5).

Proposed solutions

Recommended solution

In my opinion, congestion pricing is the answer to the New York traffic congestion problem proposed by Professor Michael Dohan. According to the professor, the congestion charge is the price for the use of the roads during certain peak hours of the day. Following Dr. Dohan’s analysis, congestion pricing would be the most effective tool against traffic congestion. For example, London (a city similar to New York), England and Stockholm, Sweden, are very successful in their respective implementation of congestion pricing (Wylde, 2007).

Alternative solutions

Naparstek (2005) recommended other solutions such as: improving the service and facilities of the metro; create incentives to take transit; limit and manage parking space; design a great pedestrian environment; get bus rapid transit (BRT) service and make New York City more bike-friendly. For example, New York parking spaces are very cheap and plentiful compared to parking spaces in London, England. Naparstek (2005) recommended that New York raise prices and reduce parking spaces. In turn, commuters will be more inclined to take cheaper public transportation rather than pay high parking fees. These solutions are answers to the New York traffic problem. In other words, congestion pricing is just one piece of the New York traffic puzzle.

Opposition to the recommended solution

According to Schaller (2006), opponents of congestion pricing denounced it as a punitive and additional tax. Other opponents claimed that the London congestion pricing experiment was unsuccessful because 62 percent of businesses in London reported a drop in customers since its implementation (Schaller, 2006). According to the first claim, the current cost incurred due to ‘tax’ traffic congestion (pun intended) is more expensive than congestion pricing. For example, the adage – “Giving up a college education is more expensive than getting a college education.” Regarding the second statement, London was suffering a severe recession at the time of the implementation of congestion pricing according to Schaller (2006).

Next steps

In conclusion, congestion charging is a solution that your administration should seriously consider implementing. Other viable solutions were proposed in the previous paragraphs. Alternative solutions should be considered. However, congestion pricing should be prioritized due to NYC’s limited resources. Opponents of congestion pricing will continue to attack them from their ‘anti-tax’ platform. In the long term, what is necessary must be done to benefit the socioeconomic vitality of our city.