Students at Bard High School Early College Queens don’t own cars, and aren’t driving to school. That doesn’t stop them from having thoughts on congestion pricing. It’s been over a month since the MTA unveiled its Congestion Relief sign at Broadway and West 61st street, sparking outrage (and occasional support) in New Yorkers who commute to Manhattan by car. The congestion relief zone, blocks and avenues at or below 60th Street, now cost nine dollars to enter during peak rush hour – 5AM to 9PM. According to the MTA, the goals of this initiative are to “reduce traffic and travel time, reduce emissions” and, most importantly, “raise revenue for public transit improvements.” Two Bard students, Senior Fotini Klimathianos and Junior Kannon Peters, have strong, opposing opinions on the ethical and political implications of congestion pricing. I sat down with both of them to learn about their personal dislike or support of the issue.
What is your personal experience with congestion pricing? Do your parents, relatives or any other members of your family have to pay it daily?
Peters: I am a little bit biased in this regard, but I don’t have any immediate family who have to pay the toll every day. My family, we all live in the city. A couple of my mom’s friends live in Jersey, one of them lives in Westchester County, and they have to encounter it, but I’ve seen them take New Jersey Transit and Metro North. So, I would say from my personal experience with congestion pricing, I haven’t had to deal with it a lot since my family doesn’t own a car.
Klimathianos: I live in Queens, and it’s a little bit different, because I’m not paying it just to get home. But my mom works downtown and ever since the pandemic, she’s stopped taking public transportation. She hasn’t decided to get back on the train, because she doesn’t feel comfortable. She drives all the way downtown, and to get home, back to Queens, there’s no way to escape paying the congestion pricing.
Do you see congestion pricing benefiting New York City or its residents?
Peters: Anyone who’s ever been to midtown Manhattan prior to congestion pricing knows how much traffic there actually is. And I think a lot of people would agree with me on the point that it was, and to an extent still is, chaotic to walk around Midtown Manhattan. I think [congestion pricing] will improve pedestrian access, quality of life and there will be a lot less pollution. In addition, a lot of time is lost sitting in traffic, especially in Midtown – it’s the most congested district in the United States. Also, a lot of people complain about how the MTA has a lot of problems, and this will kind of fix that.
Klimathianos: I’d like to say maybe. I know that the money for congestion pricing is going to the MTA, and if the MTA can get its act together and not be shitty, then use that money to actually fix the subway and the problems that it has. The first thing that comes to mind is two years ago, when the [subway] completely flooded. It would be good if that didn’t happen again. If the money did go and actually fix the MTA, that would be great, and I would support it. But knowing the MTA in New York City, I don’t know we are going to see a big change – or if we do, it’s going to take a really long time to see how that money is used in the MTA. I think that if the MTA was more transparent, or they let the city’s residents know more about how exactly the money was going to be put to use, it would be good.
Do you see congestion pricing harming New York City or its residents?
Peters: The people who are going to be most directly harmed are probably lower income families and households that actually need to use a car. I could very well see why they would be against it. Some people from outside New York City who are not as well off and have a car can’t afford to take the train into the city all the time, where it would actually just be easier to end up driving.
Klimathianos: I think it’s a little bit crazy that to get into the city, which is the hub of New York, you have to pay nine dollars. Especially for people who live in the city, paying it every day can get to an exorbitant price throughout the year. You’d think nine dollars a day is fine, but when you’re paying nine dollars every day, or even once in a while for those who pay nine dollars to go watch a show in the city, it adds up. Subways are accessible, but not every single subway station, and the stations are really stinky because people are peeing and pooping in them all the time. The MTA is good, it takes you a lot of places, and I use the subway to get home every day. But there are definitely people who can’t, and I don’t think they should be forced to sit in those stinky subway elevators, or pay nine dollars.
If you could change congestion pricing in any way, what would it be and how would it improve your current opinion on the issue?
Peters: This isn’t necessarily an issue with the congestion pricing itself, but I do believe that there is a level of mismanagement in terms of funding going on in the MTA. I think a lot of people who are against congestion pricing will agree with that statement, and I think that it needs to be put in check. Not long after congestion pricing was implemented, there was a huge tunnel failure on the A,B,C,D [trains] going uptown. If we manage to put the money in check and make sure that it’s actually going towards transportation investments, then people will stop referring to it as a lost cause.
Klimathianos: Well, getting rid of it would mean that I would be happy. Since I personally don’t drive, it’s not a big thing for me, but it is for my family and a lot of people working in the city. There are tolls on every single bridge. The only one that doesn’t require tolls is the Queensborough bridge, but now that’s been changed, because you have to pay right as you get off the bridge. Getting rid of it would alleviate that concern for having to pay nine dollars a day.
Before entering office, President Trump had promised to halt congestion pricing in Manhattan, tweeting that it was a “disaster for NYC,” and that it would be detrimental to the city’s economy. Do you believe in his message on this issue, and do you think it is his place to make this change?
Peters: No, not at all. New Yorkers and people who come to the city from out of town on a regular basis should be the ones that vocalize their opinions most about this idea. And I don’t necessarily think that it should be something that is taken to the [federal] government first. I disagree with the idea that it’s a disaster for New York City, because I think we’ve already kind of seen that it’s been doing a lot of good. Over time, it’s going to continue to keep doing more good. After a certain point, [congestion pricing] will almost pay back the problems that are initially being caused. If we take a look now, there are a lot of people mad about how the A [train] is currently being shut down between Howard Beach and the Rockaways. There were a lot of people saying, ‘Oh, they still want us to pay the congestion pricing tax, even though they’re shutting the subway down.’ I think what a lot of people don’t realize is that these are the things that this money is going to go towards. The MTA is actually doing a decent job providing connections to and from the Rockaways.
Klimathianos: He’s the president of 380 million people. A lot of the stuff that he says, he doesn’t follow through on. I also don’t think that the city is his top concern, his top priority, or his jurisdiction. But in terms of what he’s saying, I would agree with it if he somehow managed to find a way to implement it, but I just don’t think that’s something that would happen. I also see that congestion pricing could affect other cities, and could see how other cities would want to take it and use it in their cities to alleviate congestion. Looking at the country as a whole, if they were to take it to other cities, he wouldn’t really be able to do anything about it.