| Issue 181 | July 17, 1998 |
| Issue 181 | July 17, 1998 |
In a letter to the NY Post this week, the Automobile Club of New York reiterates its long-standing claim that those who drive to work in New York do it because they have to, not because they want to. The Club sought to rebut a recent Post editorial that said congestion relief pricing - charging higher tolls during crowded peak periods - was worth a try (see MTR #178). "While some high-level executives may have the flexibility to adjust their hours to travel off-peak, most working people would simply have to shell out more money," writes the Auto Club's Dennis Crossley. For once, we would like to see the Club document its claim that higher peak period tolls would dun legions of working class motorists.
National Personal Transportation Study data the Campaign has received from NYMTC indicate that "working folks" do proportionately little of New York City's driving. The 1994 rate of vehicle miles traveled for NYC households making more than $40,000 per year was more than five times greater than for city households bringing in less than $40,000. Households from the two income groups traveled about the same transit mileage per year (with a slight edge to the over-$40k's).
Moreover, research done by the MTA in the 1980s found that the majority of car commuters receive some form of financial incentive (employer-provided parking, mileage reimbursements, etc.) to drive to work in New York City. Perhaps these employers could start paying the workers to drive at off-peak times, or offer them TransitChek.
The Club is also making much of a recent survey of its downstate members that found two-thirds of them opposing peak-hour toll surcharges within a variable-price toll scheme. But we wonder whether the Club's leadership isn't starting to lose touch with the sentiments of its membership. Since Club members are motorists by definition, and have been exposed, via Club materials, to more negative publicity about congestion relief pricing than other citizens, we find the 33% who checked "favor" very encouraging. Common wisdom among political consultants is that a campaign starting off with a 30% favorable rating stands in good stead.
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