I’m an old curmudgeon. I hate congestion pricing, bike lanes, all the No Parking, and in particular, the long bike stands that take the place of parking.
Get rid of all of it, I said, before congestion pricing began.
But now the traffic is almost normal. My opinion has changed on this subject congestion pricing must remain in place.
Look, you don’t like it? Nine dollars is nothing compared to the outrageous price of taxis. They can be $30. Insane. Plus, there’s plenty of mass transportation. I’ve never seen anyone on the subway with a machete in my many decades of underground travel.
Trains from the suburbs are clean and mostly run on time, too. Plus, in Grand Central, you can get black and white cookies at Zaro’s.
Do I drive out and back in? Very often. Am I happy about the nine dollars? No. But am I happy that a quarter of the cars are gone? Yes. That Sixth Avenue is now semi passable? Yes.
I stand with Kathy Hochul. But Kathy, please, get rid of the cars parked in the middle of 8th Avenue from 42nd to 59th St. Give us back parking. Or regulate parking garages so they don’t gouge residents. Give the streets an angioplasty!
We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. pic.twitter.com/PikwB5OwnM
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) February 19, 2025
