In Part 1 of this two-installment series, I cited numbers representing the decline in automobile and, more radically, public transportation ridership from 2019 to 2022. These figures were initially cited in an extraordinary NYTimes article on November 6, 2023 (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/06/business/economy/commuting-change-covid.html) that provided figures for this decline in roughly 17 U.S. cities. As National Bus Trader readers may recall, the slightest decline among these cities occurred in New York City (25 percent) with the largest in Detroit (91 percent). Because motorcoach ridership (obviously mostly in commuter/express service) is more affected by the same reasons as transit ridership compared with other modes
Archives for Queens
Congestion Pricing: How it Can Make Sense
Lately, the phrase “the first time in our nation’s history” has been uttered a lot. These “firsts” are rarely acknowledged when the event is not of mainstream interest. And it is rarely acknowledged even when it morphs into a huge, household phenomenon. This up-and-coming phenomenon – congestion pricing – may soon become one of those events. Unfortunately, without many other much-needed changes, congestion pricing may quickly fizzle into a minor, historic footnote (as it has done for most of the past 50 years). However, if it succeeds – which it will if accompanied by the other changes needed to make