travelers from out of state a fee to use them. I *get* it...I just hate it.
Manhattan below 60th Street. The plan has various fees for cars, trucks of various sizes, taxis, Ubers, etc. To enter in a personal car, it will be a $15 fee/toll. I think the fee to Uber is $2.50 (not a onetime fee for the day but $2.50 each time an Uber enters the zone. And, of course, Uber will pass that fee right on to their customer). This plan was set to start in June until our governor postponed it. It’s a major polarizing political football. Some love the idea; others hate the idea. It’s essentially a toll to use the roads in Manhattan below 60th St.
$15 for one vehicle for one trip seems outrageous to me. I could maybe support the toll if it was $5 because again, I get that it's expensive to maintain roads, especially roads more frequently used. But $15, especially during a time where people are already struggling with inflation and wondering how to pay their bills, seems like price gouging. I'm assuming extensive studies have been done that "prove" that is the amount they need from each vehicle travelling those roads?
I get why there are toll roads and bridges. Upkeep of infrastructure is important and expensive. It’s basically a tax to raise funds to pay for maintenance, construction, etc of roads and bridges. And it’s a tax paid by people who actually use those roads and bridges.
Yep.
I think the current camera-powered billing system is fine as long as it is very transparent what the tolls will be. Psychologically, it probably felt cheaper paying tolls in cash, bit by bit, rather than seeing those tolls totaled up in a bill. But, in reality, you could pay for a coffee every morning in Starbuck or get a monthly bill from Starbucks for those coffees and the cost would be exactly the same.
I'm of the belief that if payment is so important to a person or business, then payment in ALL forms should be accepted. Arguments have been made on both sides--cash and cashless--for different businesses and I can see all the points but I feel it should be up to me how I pay you. That being said, I didn't mind the camera-powered billing...I just wasn't expecting it (plus it was the COST that irked me, not how I have to pay the cost). I wonder how they handle it if someone's license plate is dirty or if it's covered. Bff has glass license plate protectors...would the camera even be able to read her plate?
