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Changes since congestion pricing started in New York

(www.nytimes.com)
437 points Vinnl | 3 comments | 13 May 25 10:43 UTC | HN request time: 0.203s | source
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philipallstar ◴[14 May 25 14:36 UTC] No.43985073[source]▶
The increased speeds are excellent for those who can afford the toll. This is a universal benefit of toll roads for those people.
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bryanlarsen ◴[14 May 25 14:45 UTC] No.43985179[source]▶
And the investments in public transit and bike paths are excellent for those who can't. Such unalloyed win-wins are hard to find.
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lokar ◴[14 May 25 14:47 UTC] No.43985193[source]▶
I lived in Manhattan, and was very well paid. I did not own a car, and loved it. This would have been great for me as well.
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timewizard ◴[14 May 25 22:33 UTC] No.43989879[source]▶
Did you have children or did you live alone?
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epistasis ◴[14 May 25 22:40 UTC] No.43989923[source]▶
As someone with children, I can not imagine the bliss of living in Manhattan and being able to do things without needing a car.

Car-centric urban planning is hell with kids. You have to load them up into the car for any small trip. You can't walk or bike anywhere because cars make it so dangerous.

My only regret about living in the US is this car hellscape that is so hard to avoid. It's mandated by law, not chosen by the market.

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doctoboggan ◴[15 May 25 05:19 UTC] No.43992079[source]▶
I live in Chicago and use a cargo ebike with a child seat for probably 90% of my trips. I can take my kid to school, go shopping, and go to my office on my bike, often quicker than if I were to take a car.

Chicago has (recently?) put a lot of focus on their bike infrastructure (protected bike lanes, bike signals, bike only paths, etc) and it seems pretty widely used.

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1. lazide ◴[15 May 25 11:31 UTC] No.43993916[source]▶
I’ve experienced Chicago winters.

Do you put the kid in that seat?!?

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2. doctoboggan ◴[15 May 25 13:43 UTC] No.43995027[source]▶
Yes, with a warm coat and this full enclosure[0] she was happy in the winter.

[0]: https://betterabound.familybikeride.org/img/winter-kit.jpg

3. ty6853 ◴[15 May 25 16:07 UTC] No.43996448[source]▶
The bigger problem in the winter is the drivers get even crazier and the roads can occasionally get icy.

When I was bike only I had my arm damaged in a way that it took close to a decade to get back to normal. On another occasion I was knocked unconscious. Both occasions were drivers who left turned into a parking lot without looking, crossing a lane then going right into me in the bike lane.

A car provides a nice cushion for those sorts of happening. I think if I had a child in either case there is a good chance they would be dead.

While I support the right of people to make their own risk assessments for their family, I fear it is only a matter of time until they come to understand what I did about Chicago biking.