News ought to put a huge smile on AOC's face...

New York State Budget: Congestion Pricing Coming To Manhattan. Drivers In Cars Will Pay Around $11.50 And Truck Drivers Will Pay About $25; Possible Discounts For Some Being Worked Out
CBS New York | Mar 31, 2019

[snip]

It has worked in cities like London and Singapore and state lawmakers are hoping congestion pricing will decrease traffic in New York City, too.

CBS2’s Hazel Sanchez found out what Sunday’s historic news means for drivers.

Big Apple subway and buses will soon be getting some much-needed improvements at the expense of drivers heading into Manhattan.

“I think it’s a good idea,” one New Yorker said Sunday. “Every day it’s very, very (bad) traffic, so I think it can be better.”

Motorists entering Midtown Manhattan below 60th Street will be charged a toll, which is anticipated to raise more than $1 billion a year for the city’s ailing public transit system. A panel of experts will set the surcharges by the end of 2020, but sources told CBS2 drivers in cars will pay around $11.50 and truck drivers around $25.

...Traffic expert Sam Schwartz told CBS2 he thinks the system will make difference.

“The bottom line is the city is a competitive city. It is a world city. We can’t have a world city if our transit system is running 65 percent on time and our traffic is moving at 4.7 mph. This will get us back in the ball game to be a world-class city.”

It’s important to note that drivers will not be charged the toll more than once per day and the FDR and West Side highways will not be included.

In his blog report, Jim Stone speculates that the New York subway maintenance workers (mainly minorities and H1-B employees who have been given employment preference over white males) are not competent troubleshooters, which explains why the transit system has a low on-time rate and why more commuters have resorted to driving their cars and trucks, clogging up the city streets.