Free subway and bus with congestion pricing?

Now here's a transit reform I could get behind: free subway and bus rides in conjunction with charging cars to drive in Manhattan's Central Business District. Gothamist has an interview with Ted Kheel describing his new study, one of many suggested alternatives to Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan. (See also Kheel's Daily News op-ed.)

The premise of our study is that there is an interrelation between automobile travel and mass transit travel, so that it is critical to look at both together to achieve a proper balance. This is what our city should be doing, but instead, we did it.

Indeed, the City has done such a lousy job of connecting the dots between mass transit and car travel that we're actually headed toward MTA fare hikes!

The possibility of Kheel's plan actually passing is quite remote—the City is more likely to go toward a variant on the proposals to toll the east river bridges—but it's nice to see a counter-plan that increases sustainability for a change.

Comments

[Dave]

Another "reformer" who avoids using the MTA like the plague. From the article:

You're 93 years young and more active than most twenty-somethings - what's your secret?
Good fortune—I’m just lucky.

And what subway and/or bus lines are you fond of?
I love them all. Unfortunately, due to spinal stenosis, I am confined to automobile travel, which is better than the alternative of not being able to get around at all. I would be pleased to pay more for traveling by car, as I think is right.

[carrie]

Dave, are you kidding?

"Doing well" for a 93 year old with spinal stenosis is publishing municipal reports and writing op-eds -- it's not necessarily climbing 2 or 3 flights of stairs, or standing up in crowded moving vehicles.

But no need to talk about age here. The suggestion that someone who advocates mass transit but uses cars (when needed) is a hypocrite is ridiculous. Kheel isn't trying to abolish cars -- the purpose of congestion pricing is simply to discourage unnecessary car trips. Too many people fall back on cars when the subways and buses would do just fine. For those who are sick, disabled, or carrying 35 lb bags of grout (as I was last night), cars can't be beat.

[futurebird]

"the purpose of congestion pricing is simply to discourage unnecessary car trips"

And don't forget those who drive and pay will be able to get more done without all of the congestion.
I think one of the most innovative things out their to help with the traffic problems, reducing greenhouses gases, and encouraging people to consider other modes of transportation is congestion pricing. The trouble is, in the US, the cost of driving is heavily subsidized by the government. Check out this graph.:

http://community.livejournal.com/environment/773518.html