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manhattan congestion tolls


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9 hours ago, Bullneck said:

Drove in to Manhattan through the Holland Tunnel, up to midtown, and out the Lincoln Tunnel.

Traffic was light everywhere: on 78 from Newark to JC/Hoboken, in Manhattan, and leaving the city on 31st through Hudson Yards to the Lincoln Tunnel.  Even the usual tie ups at the first toll booth from 495 at 95 was easy peasy.  No stop and go on run up to the Pulsaski Skyway undercrossing and none at the south Newark airport entry/exit or at the GSP.  The only hectic area was the 400 yards from Penn Station to the Moynihan Station, which I'm becoming convinced will always suck. 

So, color me impressed.  I'll take it.

January is a good time to go into Manhattan if you are driving. Some days it looks like a ghost town in the mid-town area without all the international tourists.

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9 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

I love first rate public transit.  It doesn't exist in most of America.

I am going to give some props to The Bus here in Hawaii. @956 Worldwide would have been singing the Hallelujah Chorus today. I was coming back from shopping and someone’s phone had barely audible music coming out of it. That bus driver told them to turn it off immediately. It was beautiful. You can ride a bus here and hear next to nothing because the rules clearly state to not use your phone or play ANY music without headphones on. I love taking the buses here. The drivers are always so nice as well and it’s 80 a month to ride it. Still want to get a motorcycle, but man this is some really good public transit.

Edited by UpperWestside
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3 hours ago, UpperWestside said:

January is a good time to go into Manhattan if you are driving. Some days it looks like a ghost town in the mid-town area without all the international tourists.

Yeah, that and the fact that it was a Friday and anyone with half a brain would WFH.  I just had an afternoon meeting I couldn't get out of.  

It brough back memories of the height of Covid I once drove from my house to the NY office in an hour and 15 minutes.  Now that was epic.

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53 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

I once drove a Uhaul in Manhattan traffic in the pouring rain. That was intense. 

Oof. The best I got is when I drove a Geo Tracker up to Maine in the winter. During my NYC leg I invoked my Inner Albanian Taxi Driver, and it worked.

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29 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

I hate driving in the city. I try and avoid it, but sometimes, renting a car and escaping is a good idea. 

I'd do that in Texas back when I'd fly in to work for a couple of months. The car rental people were nice to me as I'd bolt on weekends. I don't think they ever got used to me taking their vehicles to Laredo though.

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7 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

I'd do that in Texas back when I'd fly in to work for a couple of months. The car rental people were nice to me as I'd bolt on weekends. I don't think they ever got used to me taking their vehicles to Laredo though.

We have an office in Portsmouth, NH. When I have to visit there, I usually rent a car from the Avis on 64th between 2nd and 1st and take Harvey with me.  I can walk there, and I always fill up the car at a Shell station in Harlem and also get it detailed (Harvey sheds something fierce). I usually head up there once in the summer (though this summer is going to be tough) and in the fall (get to leaf peep for free).

I think this year, Harvey and I might head up to Salem or near there for Halloween.  Also, Concord and Lexington are doing celebrations for the 250th Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April (Easter Weekend to be specific), so might be fun to go up there then.

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1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

I once drove a Uhaul in Manhattan traffic in the pouring rain. That was intense. 

Made the mistake of driving into NYC when we moved upstate… jfc it was a white knuckling experience as I was pretty much driving aimlessly with no real destination in mind. 

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1 hour ago, RDCanecutter said:

Yeah, if we'd just get the Global Warming we've been promised, I would relocate to New England and you couldn't pry me loose with a crowbar.

New England really only sucks in the winter and early Spring. Generally, April to mid November is really quite nice for the most part. In NYC, there are 4 bad months: January and February and then July and August. Most of the rest of the year, the weather is actually quite nice. I will say it stayed warmer a lot longer this year than in years past.

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4 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

I once drove a Uhaul in Manhattan traffic in the pouring rain. That was intense. 

My former colleague with 7 kids once drove a Winnebago around midtown Manhattan for 3 days during the holiday season. It shocks me to think about it. 

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48 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

My former colleague with 7 kids once drove a Winnebago around midtown Manhattan for 3 days during the holiday season. It shocks me to think about it. 

IMG_2294.webp.6fbb9251ab4d706ab4d050282f7ec76b.webp

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2 hours ago, nbmishoid said:

Back on topic, they’ve had this in Singapore for 30 years. Of course it is because it works. 

Singapore also limits the overall number of private cars.

Also, I love the fines for Durian on the metro there.

 

20240120_122053.jpg

Edited by PenelopeWitherspoon
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When Houston started toll lanes (dynamic pricing or not) with HOV, some complained by saying it was a govt benefit for the wealthy. Called them Lexus lanes. I saw them as a win for everyone. People that had excess cash or were motivated to get to their destination were taken out of the normal lanes. Even if you can’t afford it everyday, how great is it that the option is there if needed.

Many first reactions to anything new by the govt is “why can’t I have that?” Honesty some people haven’t grown emotionally since preschool.

 

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1 hour ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

When Houston started toll lanes (dynamic pricing or not) with HOV, some complained by saying it was a govt benefit for the wealthy. Called them Lexus lanes. I saw them as a win for everyone. People that had excess cash or were motivated to get to their destination were taken out of the normal lanes. Even if you can’t afford it everyday, how great is it that the option is there if needed.

Many first reactions to anything new by the govt is “why can’t I have that?” Honesty some people haven’t grown emotionally since preschool.

 

People just like to bitch.

The thing is, if you really feel that it’s unfair then just find a way to use something and game it. I thought it was a great idea and yet my morals lapsed too.

After a considerable monthly toll bill  for said tolls, I realized that you could just take Hov side of the HOT lanes at every booth. 
There was no enforcement mechanism other than self-policing and honesty.

Welp, $9 / day in rush hour tolls strains even the most honest of us all. Sorry if they do enforce it now. It was shit heads like me that ruined it for the rest of you.

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1 hour ago, Dnaguy said:

People just like to bitch.

The thing is, if you really feel that it’s unfair then just find a way to use something and game it. I thought it was a great idea and yet my morals lapsed too.

After a considerable monthly toll bill  for said tolls, I realized that you could just take Hov side of the HOT lanes at every booth. 
There was no enforcement mechanism other than self-policing and honesty.

Welp, $9 / day in rush hour tolls strains even the most honest of us all. Sorry if they do enforce it now. It was shit heads like me that ruined it for the rest of you.

Tragedy of the commons

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1 hour ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

no fine listed. I say do it

Yikes

Quote

Durian (Durio zibethinus) is a large, spiky fruit native to Southeast Asia and known as the “king of fruit”. It's notorious for its pungent, onion-like smell, which can linger for days and is strong enough to ban it from some public spaces.

But having ridden the Istanbul light rail, I can’t imagine it’s any worse than the smell emanating from the men on that tram. That BO felt as if my olfactory system was being gang raped by a legion of janissary. 

Edited by Dnaguy
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On 1/11/2025 at 12:16 PM, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

New England really only sucks in the winter and early Spring. Generally, April to mid November is really quite nice for the most part. In NYC, there are 4 bad months: January and February and then July and August. Most of the rest of the year, the weather is actually quite nice. I will say it stayed warmer a lot longer this year than in years past.

Well and my relatives and all their friends.

And August in Boston with no AC can suck for most. Not Philly DC bad, but not fun. Architects still think air flow is some Vatican plot.

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About ten years ago I drove a rental from Melville into Times Square, with only printed directions to where I needed to go. Starts raining, the windows fog up and I have no idea what controls on the car did what. I was an overwhelmed 24 year old that didn't understand how to use a defroster. I ended up driving through Times Square looking like Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura with the rain falling down, an entirely fogged up front window, with pedestrians zig zagging around the car cause nobody cared about walk signs. Finally made it to the place and had to park in a spot just big enough to fit the car. Crawled out the back to avoid scraping the door. I gave the keys to the guy and he immediately gave it to some tiny dude that squeezed in between the wall and smacked the door directly into the wall, and I seethed on the inside.

Will never forget 9/11, or that night

 

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A New Jersey mayor is proposing the idea of a reverse congestion pricing toll after New York City implemented its controversial congestion pricing toll last week.

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who is also running for governor of the Garden State, floated the idea, according to Fox 5 New York.

"New Jersey has the same opportunity to push the buttons that New York is pushing against us," Fulop told the outlet. "We could do that to them, but the goal is to get to a table to have a reasonable solution."

EX-NY STATE SENATOR TAUNTS NEW YORKER UPSET WITH CONGESTION TOLL: 'GET OVER IT'

The mayor said he believes reverse congestion pricing is the appropriate response to New York City's new toll, which imposes fees on vehicles that enter busy parts of Manhattan as a way to encourage people to take the subway.

"There's plenty of crossings between Staten Island, New York, Bergen County, Hudson County into New Jersey," Fulop said. "There's plenty of opportunities to have the same sort of impact fee that New York is putting on New Jersey."

Fulop said he believes the money made from reverse congestion pricing should fund New Jersey’s mass transit system, which has suffered from delays and cancelations.

"My view is that New Jersey Transit is a terrible product, and it should be invested in more, and until you get a reliable transportation system in New Jersey, you can't responsibly think that people are going to take the trains," Fulop said. "But this was an opportunity to get hundreds of millions of dollars into New Jersey Transit, and I think the governor just took a very easy political approach."

There was initially the possibility for New Jersey to receive hundreds of millions of dollars from New York City's new toll, but that fell through amid litigation.

The details of Fulop's proposal are not yet finalized, but he said gantries or toll sites could be stationed outside of tunnels and bridges in New Jersey.

He said that, similar to congestion pricing, there may be exemptions or crossing credits.

It is unclear if New Jersey residents would be required to pay the toll to reenter their home state like some New Yorkers do for congestion pricing.

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I've driven into Manhattan (and the other boroughs) 5 different times now on vacation.  It was always a bitch, but I understood what I was getting into before I got there.

I hated driving around Newark, however.  The various highways, 2 different interstates and whatnot around the airport is a fucking nightmare to navigate.  

Look at this bullshit:

 

Screenshot2025-01-15144235.thumb.png.ceeba963d83a63b8be6023f5bf0c69a3.png

 

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20 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

I've driven into Manhattan (and the other boroughs) 5 different times now on vacation.  It was always a bitch, but I understood what I was getting into before I got there.

I hated driving around Newark, however.  The various highways, 2 different interstates and whatnot around the airport is a fucking nightmare to navigate.  

Look at this bullshit:

 

Screenshot2025-01-15144235.thumb.png.ceeba963d83a63b8be6023f5bf0c69a3.png

 

OK, I'm a big NJ booster but it can be tough around EWR.  It's really the signage that sucks.  They have a lot of road numbers that most people don't know v. the destination you want: NYC, Jersey City/Hoboken, Trenton/Philadelphia, Allentown to clearly define where the tourist off their flight wants to go. 

Don't underestimate the impact of the Port of Newark, too. There's a lot of intermodal containers driving those same roads.

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right now 2pm on a thursday....

a cab ride from lga to ewr is showing 1 hour - i've done that twice in my life mid-day and it took 2 hours

jfk to ewr is showing 45 minutes across the verrazzano - i've done that 5 times and it was always at least 90 minutes

google results differ - this is long island to staten island - is that part of the congestion zone?

the wiki says the $11.19 toll has not changed

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2 hours ago, Bullneck said:

OK, I'm a big NJ booster but it can be tough around EWR.  It's really the signage that sucks.  They have a lot of road numbers that most people don't know v. the destination you want: NYC, Jersey City/Hoboken, Trenton/Philadelphia, Allentown to clearly define where the tourist off their flight wants to go. 

Don't underestimate the impact of the Port of Newark, too. There's a lot of intermodal containers driving those same roads.

 

No kidding.  Non-existent or small, or signage signifying exits that are 1/4 mile away when you first see a sign, etc.  On my first trip, I was told (pre GPS days) to take 1-9.  I never saw a 1-9 sign anywhere.  Or a Frontage Road exit.  Or anything of the sorts.

In 2003 or so, I actually pulled over on the shoulder and I'm squinting at a Rand McNally while trying to figure out exactly what in the hell I was told, and how it coorresponded with what I was trying to accomplish, and still couldn't figure it out.  I eventually went to the airport, walked to a line of shuttle buses, spoke to a driver and followed one that got me to the exit I was trying to get at.  If it hadn't been for him, I might still be circling the damn place.

Last trip was 2017, and by then, the advent of GPS on everyone's phones and whatnot made it easier, but I still had PTSD.

 

 

 

Edited by Francisco 2.0
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On 1/12/2025 at 8:16 PM, Dnaguy said:

Yikes

But having ridden the Istanbul light rail, I can’t imagine it’s any worse than the smell emanating from the men on that tram. That BO felt as if my olfactory system was being gang raped by a legion of janissary. 

I'm heading to Istanbul Monday, so someone to look forward to. 

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11 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Next week will be a ghost town with single digit temps. FYI, the latter half of Jan and most of February is dead in NYC. This is pretty typical.

So this is all fake news then?  Even if the toll is having an effect right now, I have to think it’s just sticker shock and people will get used to it and adjust back to their normal habits eventually. 

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3 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

So this is all fake news then?  Even if the toll is having an effect right now, I have to think it’s just sticker shock and people will get used to it and adjust back to their normal habits eventually. 

There is a reason that hotels in the latter half of January and most of February are cheap as hell in Manhattan. Further, there is a reason that Restaurant Weeks and Broadway Weeks happen during these times as well. Manhattan was teeming with people over the holiday season, which is still pretty busy through the 1st or even 2nd week in January.  After that, things quiet down. Things will pick back up around St. Patrick's Day.

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