Congestion pricing will destroy broadway - Page 2

[HogansHero]

Posted: 3/27/24 at 2:26pm

In this thread, we can witness the convergence of this board's most popular phenomena. First and foremost, we are hearing the death rattles of the fabulous invalid. Second, we are being bombarded with incorrect information because people complain first and read second (or never). [E.g., Lyft/Uber: The number of licenses has been capped, and a flat rate congestion charge has been added. The "disabled": There is an exemption available. Etc etc etc] And last but not least, people who love theatre are rarely accounts: 4 people drive to the theatre district to see a show. The very conservative cost of doing so (gas, other tolls, parking, eating and drinking, cheap tickets, etc) we will say is $600. [$150/pp]. Add congestion pricing: $615 (or 620) [$153.75-155/pp]. Seriously? Someone wants to suggest that's the deal breaker? Hysterical.

[NJGUY]

Posted: 3/27/24 at 3:31pm

Unoriginal juke box musicals, unnecessary revivals and the attempted wokeness of straight plays will kill Broadway a lot sooner than $15 added to the entertainment bill.

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 3/27/24 at 3:55pm

Can you give examples of what plays you’re referring to?

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 3/27/24 at 4:36pm

NJGUY said: "Unoriginal juke box musicals, unnecessary revivals and the attempted wokeness of straight plays will kill Broadway a lot sooner than $15 added to the entertainment bill."

And which shows would you be referring to here?

[rg7759]

Posted: 6/6/24 at 6:09am

I seriously pity any supposed theater fan who were practically supporting this insane plot to punish anyone coming to nyc.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 6/6/24 at 9:46am

Literally only 1.5%-2% of commuters would have to pay congestion pricing. If this is your definition of punishment…

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 6/6/24 at 11:36am

No one will have to pay it, at least for now. Governor Hochul has suspended the plan indefinitely.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/6/24 at 11:55am

rg7759 said: "I seriously pity any supposed theater fan who were practically supporting this insane plot to punish anyone coming to nyc."

Well, the insane plot was to fund the MTA that millions of people rely on daily to get into and around the city, and now funds will need to be found in the form of likely new taxes on businesses. No matter how you slice it, somebody is paying. As has been pointed out many times, commuters in cars make up a very small percentage of theatergoers.

[BroadwayPatriot]

Posted: 6/6/24 at 12:02pm

On weekends when it is implemented it is only like $3 so weekends won’t  be effected - my issue is the MTA itself - you never want to give them an endless pit of money - look at their history , ask any MTA worker who is retired , they won’t talk about it when they are not retired , how corrupt they are , you have to be naive or 12 years old or a  dope from Park Slope or Williamsburg ( clueless hipster) to trust the MTA with billions and expect improvement , if the money would actually result in tangible improvements- Im ok with it , but the fee should be lower , this is a gift to ride apps like Uber ,  the MTA willl stuff the money in their pockets first , the top brass ( that is), don’t be a naive sheep  

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 6/6/24 at 12:49pm

“No one will have to pay it, at least for now. Governor Hochul has suspended the plan indefinitely.“

 

that’s why this thread was bumped :)

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/7/24 at 8:07pm

Instantly reminded of some on this board.

[Wick3]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 8:25am

Congestion pricing starts today (though decreased to $9 from the initial $15..... with plans to eventually make it $15 in 2031.

Overall though I think Broadway will still survive despite this extra fee for those of us driving in from above 60th st or outside Manhattan.

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 9:14am

I think I would be more amenable to the congestion price scheme if it was mutually beneficial between NY and NJ. If the goal is to push people toward mass transit, I feel like it should benefit NJ Transit as well as the MTA.

[Dreamboy3]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 9:21am

quizking101 said: "I think I would be more amenable to the congestion price scheme if it was mutually beneficial between NY and NJ. If the goal is to push people toward mass transit, I feel like it should benefit NJ Transit as well as the MTA."

New Jersey is free to adopt a plan analogous to the one in New York…

 

[SingingEachtoEach]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 10:02am

I'm someone who comes from out of town to go to shows, and I can't think of anything I'd want to do less than drive in Manhattan.  I made that mistake once and never  ever again.  I usually take the train into town a the way, if I wanted to drive in, I'd park at one of the train stops.  It's not a money thing, it's a stress and convenience thing.

[MezzoDiva47]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 11:17am

the question is

will this actually decrease congestion

with the addition of bike lanes and expanded sidewalks some avenues have been reduced to 2-3 lanes from what was 5

and never mind the side streets that go crosstown

getting in a taxi or uber has been practically useless since youd arrive at your destination faster by walking

i agree with others on here that the mta is horribly corrupt and seems to waste billions of the $$$ it receives without improving service or reducing crime

we’ll have to wait and see about the impact it might have on broadway attendance

which despite some of the record breaking this past holiday season remains somewhat precarious

 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 12:00pm

This won’t make much of a difference, I don’t think. The people who must drive in will still drive in, and will find a way to pass the cost on to clients or employers somehow.

The other thing that causes congestion aside from sheer volume is double parking, from delivery trucks to cops buying their coffee to plain old people double parking and leaving their car their for hours. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 12:02pm

I love how dramatic and ridiculous the subject line for this thread is.The fact that anyone thinks that a small fee will suddenly make people stop wanting to spend hundreds/thousands of dollars each time they come to the city is wild. If you can afford to come here for dinners, shows, art, and shopping? Nine bux isn't going to stop anyone and nothing is being DESTROYED here.

"I think I would be more amenable to the congestion price scheme if it was mutually beneficial between NY and NJ. If the goal is to push people toward mass transit, I feel like it should benefit NJ Transit as well as the MTA."

Yeah but people actually want to come to NYC so......

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 12:11pm

Can we instead just get effective gates on the Subway platforms that open when the trains arrive so people stop getting pushed and thus hit by trains and I can get where I'm going please? I don't understand how this is a years long issue and the best thing they've been able to come up with is non continuous metal fences on some platforms...

ESPECIALLY those narrow ass platforms where you have only about 6 feet to walk between the wall and train's path...

Oh could this also fund fire extinguishers in every train as well? So you dont have someone standing on literal fire for several minutes with no assistance as happened just recently? 

Updated On: 1/5/25 at 12:11 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 12:47pm

I'm glad it's been implemented and hopeful that it can help solve some problems.

If it doesn't help, it will be discontinued. That's how this stuff works.

[Dreamboy3]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 12:58pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I'm glad it's been implemented and hopeful that it can help solve some problems.

If it doesn't help, it will be discontinued. That's how this stuff works."

No, the MTA. needs the money. This has much more to do with raising money for the MTA than reducing congestion. It is not getting repealed if there is no decrease in congestion. That isn’t how it works. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 1:09pm

Not gonna lie, I reframed my mindset a bit driving in today and for $9, ZERO tunnel traffic, cutting about 30 minutes off my trip idling, and QUICK and plentiful street parking…is a pretty good trade off for someone who comes  as a weekender

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 1:13pm

If it doesn't help, it will be discontinued. That's how this stuff works.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

No, the MTA. needs the money. This has much more to do with raising money for the MTA than reducing congestion. It is not getting repealed if there is no decrease in congestion. That isn’t how it works. 

Exactly. Anyone suggesting they will stop collecting money for the MTA because they think that's how corrupt organizations work is hilarious and delusional. 

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 1:25pm

Dreamboy3 said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I'm glad it's been implemented and hopeful that it can help solve some problems.

If it doesn't help, it will be discontinued. That's how this stuff works."

No, the MTA. needs the money. This has much more to do with raising money for the MTA than reducing congestion. It is not getting repealed if there is no decrease in congestion. That isn’t how it works."
 

You'll note that my post said nothing about reducing congestion. I'm well aware that the problems it aims to solve are about finances, not car traffic.

[Kad]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 1:28pm

Congestion pricing currently has a lack of broad public approval and detractors across the political spectrum and it was already delayed at the whim of Gov. Hochul in an attempt to score political points. If it doesn’t end up delivering obvious results in the form of lessened traffic and MTA improvements in a timely fashion, it is perfectly reasonable to assume that it would be reversed in the future, particularly if a movement to abolish it grows.