True story: When I very first moved to DC, I had a college internship at a nonprofit and felt very cool. Except that I only had white athletic socks ā I had never had to wear dress socks on a regular basis ā so I needed socks. And I opened up a map (this was the old days) and saw a GIGANTIC mall in the middle of the city. I headed down there the next day, saw what it was, and thought āI may be too big of a hillbilly to make it here.ā
I love Mauerās political-history-via-jazz-history that comes with the audio version. Sam Lavinās White musicians masquerading as Black with plausible deniability reminded me of a hoax that Steven Allen, 50s Tonight Show host and pianist, once perpetrated. Like Lavin, Allen was prolific. He estimated he had āwrittenā thousands of songs (improvised, not actually committed to paper), but he wondered (in jest) why he was not considered a monumental jazz talent. So, he recorded an album that purported to be the lost work of a recently dead, Black pianist. The album was favorably reviewed, but the hoax was quickly discovered, perhaps because its cover was just a sketch. So, he recorded another album, this time with a photo on the cover. Turns out the alleged Black female pianist in the photo was actually his housekeeper. The music was all Allen.
The gag was meant to poke fun at a certain type of music connoisseur's perception of authenticity. No way schlock churned out by a popular TV host could be ātrueā jazz. For the 1920s jazz equivalent of Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons, Sam Lavin offered Laddās Black Aces. Maybe. I might be wrong.
Iām kinda hot and cold on the merits of congestion pricing: on the one hand we need the revenue, but on the other hand the MTA is going to immediately light it on fire, since thatās what they do and weāre requiring no meaningful reform (that Iām aware of) to ensure that this mountain of new money is spent wisely. But at the end of the day, fine Iām for itādespite all its faults, the excellent public transit we have is a major reason I live here and not someplace half as expensive, so the MTAās capital budget ought to be higher so it can be even better. Still though, couldnāt they at least try not to have the worldās highest per-mile subway-construction cost, fer chrissakes?
That said, people are really getting ahead of themselves talking about the magically improved traffic, especially considering weāre only seven days into the program as I write this. I live in western Queens and drive my car several times a week (though basically never into the congestion zone) and the traffic has just been really really light in general throughout the region since new years. I drove up the Hudson Valley halfway to Albany and back the other day, plus to various places in Brooklyn and Queens, and there is just a palpably, weirdly small amount of traffic compared to what itās usually like. And when Iāve been into the city, same thing: just an unusually low amount of activity in general. I have theories as to why this is (and itās something Iāve observed in previous years too), but Iām banging on long enough as it is.
Basically, I think itās a bit early to be declaring traffic victory from congestion pricing just yet. And besides, itās *at least* as much a revenue-raising measure as a traffic-calming one, as far as I can tell, but then thatās a different discussion.
If nothing else, NYC will be a good test of congestion pricing ā in a few years, weāll know whether the traffic reductions were permanent, whether it became popular, and what effect it had on businesses in the city. And yes, no matter what, it would be good if MTA stopped being such a money suck.
What Iām most interested in is how many more MTA capital projects it can help us build if the revenue is in line with projections. Elevators, subway lines, commuter rail stations and tracks, etc. Maybe weāll even finish the Q line to 125th St. before my 50th birthday! (Which means weāve got 14 years wow thatās a terrifying thoughtā¦)
The pollution levels in London are now drastically reduced - as (mostly) unpopular congestion charges and ULEZ (Low emission zone charges have come into effect over the past 20 years.
I had a different understanding of the London situation, at least pre-ULEZ (or before it became as big a thing as it is now). My understanding was that the traffic went down some after the charge was instituted, but then pretty quickly rebounded to at least the same levels as before as people just started pricing it into their lives. Mind you this is traffic, not pollution, but yeah, I had that impression (sitting in the US) from journalistic coverage of congestion pricing there about, oh, 5-7 years ago, maybe?
You are definitely not a partisan hack!
I will give you that.
Maryland doesn't want D.C. and it's majority black population?
Racism ya think?
On the subject of moving.
Just give every resident of D.C.
$500,000 to move. That will only cost around 350 billion dollars, so a squadron of F-35 fighter jets right?
All kidding aside, I don't see an answer
to this problem (and it is a problem) where the political and logistical and realistic solutions line š up. Ever.
Funny stuff as usual today. Thanks!
And this is how I learned that the Washington Mall isn't a shopping centre!
True story: When I very first moved to DC, I had a college internship at a nonprofit and felt very cool. Except that I only had white athletic socks ā I had never had to wear dress socks on a regular basis ā so I needed socks. And I opened up a map (this was the old days) and saw a GIGANTIC mall in the middle of the city. I headed down there the next day, saw what it was, and thought āI may be too big of a hillbilly to make it here.ā
https://open.substack.com/pub/imightbewrong/p/should-people-who-blast-their-music?utm_source=direct&r=x0uz&utm_campaign=comment-list-share-cta&utm_medium=web&comments=true&commentId=89321001
I feel like the justice system should be able to have a sort of reverse trial to pardon someone or something along those lines.
I love Mauerās political-history-via-jazz-history that comes with the audio version. Sam Lavinās White musicians masquerading as Black with plausible deniability reminded me of a hoax that Steven Allen, 50s Tonight Show host and pianist, once perpetrated. Like Lavin, Allen was prolific. He estimated he had āwrittenā thousands of songs (improvised, not actually committed to paper), but he wondered (in jest) why he was not considered a monumental jazz talent. So, he recorded an album that purported to be the lost work of a recently dead, Black pianist. The album was favorably reviewed, but the hoax was quickly discovered, perhaps because its cover was just a sketch. So, he recorded another album, this time with a photo on the cover. Turns out the alleged Black female pianist in the photo was actually his housekeeper. The music was all Allen.
The gag was meant to poke fun at a certain type of music connoisseur's perception of authenticity. No way schlock churned out by a popular TV host could be ātrueā jazz. For the 1920s jazz equivalent of Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons, Sam Lavin offered Laddās Black Aces. Maybe. I might be wrong.
Iām kinda hot and cold on the merits of congestion pricing: on the one hand we need the revenue, but on the other hand the MTA is going to immediately light it on fire, since thatās what they do and weāre requiring no meaningful reform (that Iām aware of) to ensure that this mountain of new money is spent wisely. But at the end of the day, fine Iām for itādespite all its faults, the excellent public transit we have is a major reason I live here and not someplace half as expensive, so the MTAās capital budget ought to be higher so it can be even better. Still though, couldnāt they at least try not to have the worldās highest per-mile subway-construction cost, fer chrissakes?
That said, people are really getting ahead of themselves talking about the magically improved traffic, especially considering weāre only seven days into the program as I write this. I live in western Queens and drive my car several times a week (though basically never into the congestion zone) and the traffic has just been really really light in general throughout the region since new years. I drove up the Hudson Valley halfway to Albany and back the other day, plus to various places in Brooklyn and Queens, and there is just a palpably, weirdly small amount of traffic compared to what itās usually like. And when Iāve been into the city, same thing: just an unusually low amount of activity in general. I have theories as to why this is (and itās something Iāve observed in previous years too), but Iām banging on long enough as it is.
Basically, I think itās a bit early to be declaring traffic victory from congestion pricing just yet. And besides, itās *at least* as much a revenue-raising measure as a traffic-calming one, as far as I can tell, but then thatās a different discussion.
If nothing else, NYC will be a good test of congestion pricing ā in a few years, weāll know whether the traffic reductions were permanent, whether it became popular, and what effect it had on businesses in the city. And yes, no matter what, it would be good if MTA stopped being such a money suck.
What Iām most interested in is how many more MTA capital projects it can help us build if the revenue is in line with projections. Elevators, subway lines, commuter rail stations and tracks, etc. Maybe weāll even finish the Q line to 125th St. before my 50th birthday! (Which means weāve got 14 years wow thatās a terrifying thoughtā¦)
The pollution levels in London are now drastically reduced - as (mostly) unpopular congestion charges and ULEZ (Low emission zone charges have come into effect over the past 20 years.
Give it time
I had a different understanding of the London situation, at least pre-ULEZ (or before it became as big a thing as it is now). My understanding was that the traffic went down some after the charge was instituted, but then pretty quickly rebounded to at least the same levels as before as people just started pricing it into their lives. Mind you this is traffic, not pollution, but yeah, I had that impression (sitting in the US) from journalistic coverage of congestion pricing there about, oh, 5-7 years ago, maybe?