Most active commenters
  • fundaThree(5)

←back to thread

Changes since congestion pricing started in New York

(www.nytimes.com)
437 points Vinnl | 19 comments | 13 May 25 10:43 UTC | HN request time: 0.826s | source | bottom
1. fundaThree ◴[14 May 25 21:24 UTC] No.43989379[source]▶
I thought Hochul ratfucked this initiative for no apparent reason. What was the reason she gave for not ratfucking it a second time?
replies(3): >>43989434 #>>43989438 #>>43989654 #
2. burkaman ◴[14 May 25 21:30 UTC] No.43989434[source]▶
She delayed it by 6 months because she thought it would hurt some candidates in House elections, and then she reduced the fee by a significant amount when it did go into effect in January, but it's still working incredibly well.
replies(1): >>43989547 #
3. epistasis ◴[14 May 25 21:31 UTC] No.43989438[source]▶
She delayed it by many months and lowered the fee, but eventually it went through. There was a theory that she wanted to delay it to win some contested seats in the November election, but that did not bear fruit. Now those voters still hate her, as do all the people that wanted congestion pricing. She was not well liked at the Democratic National Convention.
replies(1): >>43989725 #
4. fundaThree ◴[14 May 25 21:47 UTC] No.43989547[source]▶
> She delayed it by 6 months because she thought it would hurt some candidates in House elections

Did she think that New Jersey residents vote for New York candidates? Do you have a link to the narrative?

replies(2): >>43989620 #>>43989714 #
5. philipov ◴[14 May 25 21:55 UTC] No.43989620{3}[source]▶
Westchester County and Long Island residents vote for New York candidates.
replies(2): >>43989686 #>>43990482 #
6. listenallyall ◴[14 May 25 22:00 UTC] No.43989654[source]▶
This guy is so cool, he uses the word "ratfucked"! Twice! Not just "fucked", but "ratfucked". Of course, congestion pricing was in fact implemented and remains in effect, so maybe not entirely "ratfucked"? Guess I'm not cool enough to understand. And because of his choice of words, people who are unfamiliar with this project don't even know what action(s) Kathy Hochul actually took that was/were detrimental.
replies(2): >>43989698 #>>43989710 #
7. fundaThree ◴[14 May 25 22:05 UTC] No.43989686{4}[source]▶
Fair, I guess I have no clue who on earth would willingly opt into driving into New York in the first place.
8. fundaThree ◴[14 May 25 22:06 UTC] No.43989698[source]▶
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratfucking

I honestly have no clue what beef you have with me, or if you even disagree, but thanks for calling me cool.

> What was the reason she gave for not ratfucking it a second time?

Still waiting on an answer that it seems you might be capable of providing rather than acting like a dick

replies(1): >>43989990 #
9. Demiurge ◴[14 May 25 22:09 UTC] No.43989710[source]▶
Perhaps it's a social sign for being one of the NYC local. They also referred to a person by a single name, further emphasizing they were speaking to the select few who would know what they were talking about.

If only they could also write with a heavy NYC accent, their comment would be even cooler. Forget about it.

replies(1): >>43989718 #
10. burkaman ◴[14 May 25 22:09 UTC] No.43989714{3}[source]▶
I don't think it made sense either, especially because cutting the congestion pricing revenue last-second meant she had to start talking about raising taxes on the entire state instead, but that is the consensus on what she was thinking.

Here's an article about it, she hasn't admitted the election considerations so we can't know for sure: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/09/nyregion/hochul-congestio...

11. fundaThree ◴[14 May 25 22:10 UTC] No.43989718{3}[source]▶
I live in DC
replies(1): >>43989758 #
12. KennyBlanken ◴[14 May 25 22:12 UTC] No.43989725[source]▶
The reason she's not well liked is because she did absolutely nothing about probably one of the most corrupt mayors in the history of NYC.

The congestion charge is nowhere on the DNC's radar nationally. The mayor of the largest city in the country engaging in blatant quid pro quo with a president from another party, certainly is.

replies(1): >>43989778 #
13. Demiurge ◴[14 May 25 22:17 UTC] No.43989758{4}[source]▶
That's interesting. It must be that I associate rats with NYC. You used some terms that not everyone is familair with, I jump to the wrong conclusion, taking some guesses as to what you're talking about, and here we are.
replies(1): >>43989864 #
14. epistasis ◴[14 May 25 22:20 UTC] No.43989778{3}[source]▶
I'm not quite following here. What is Hochul supposed to do about Adams? The DoJ suit against Adams didn't happen until a month after the DNC. Blatant quid pro quo with a president from another party couldn't have happened until long after the DNC.
replies(1): >>43996674 #
15. singleshot_ ◴[14 May 25 22:31 UTC] No.43989864{5}[source]▶
ratfucking as a term in political context was dramatically popularized by the movie All the President’s Men, where a (historical) character describes his covert political actions thusly.

Accordingly, it’s a dc

replies(1): >>43990643 #
16. highpost ◴[14 May 25 22:49 UTC] No.43989990{3}[source]▶
My guess is that she lacks the essential political skill of reading the room. It's not like NYC is the first city to attempt congestion pricing. Anyone who has spent any time in London can see its benefits. So I think Hochul had her political focus on the wrong things.

It took a lot of time and effort to bring the stakeholders together for congestion pricing. And to withhold her approval at the last moment was shocking. It's hard to imagine what she was really thinking and even harder to understand how she felt she would be rewarded for it. That's not a real answer to your question, but her reasoning on both congestion pricing and Eric Adams just seems opaque.

17. prasadjoglekar ◴[15 May 25 00:03 UTC] No.43990482{4}[source]▶
And even further north Putnam and Dutchess Counties pay the MTCD tax. Those are solid red/purple.
18. singleshot_ ◴[15 May 25 00:36 UTC] No.43990643{6}[source]▶
Term, not one I would ordinarily associate with an actual rat infestation or with NYc.
19. chimeracoder ◴[15 May 25 16:30 UTC] No.43996674{4}[source]▶
> I'm not quite following here. What is Hochul supposed to do about Adams?

Remove him from office? That's a power the governor has, and which the previous governor (Cuomo) threatened to use for petty personal disagreements with the previous mayor (DeBlasio), so actually invoking it to remove someone who has been indicted on federal charges is clearly fair game.

> The DoJ suit against Adams didn't happen until a month after the DNC.

The indictment didn't happen until the fall, but Adams had his home raided and phone seized long before that. The perjury also happened before that, I believe.