Congestion Pricing and Westchester

As NYC considers raising the rate of Metrocards (AGAIN); and transportation officials analyze traffic data that shows that over half the city takes public transportation to work, and the ones who drive are "disproportionately affluent", a question is raised:

Who exactly drives in New York City?

And of those drivers, who voted against the legislation?

Well, I, for one, did just this weekend. Granted, I carpooled, but it was still a car. And I did the week before. And the week before that, as well.

Why?

Because I live in Westchester. In the suburbs. And while there are very adequate train and bus systems in Westchester, they are either exceedingly expensive(the train: $20 round trip to NY, for a 40 minute ride) , and/or exceedingly time-consuming ($11 round trip, for an hour and a half). The car ride? 45 minutes, with the cost of gas, parking, and maybe a small toll. Money sometimes trumps public transportation advocacy.

Although I haven't yet read the study, I am very inclined to believe that the suburban population of New Yorkers(NY-staters) who work and play in the city, but retreat to the outskirts to live, plays an influential role in holding back congestion pricing. In fact, our representatives voted against it.

Why? Because it could be expensive, and people can't afford it. Because it would put an undue burden on trains, which are already packed to the brim and lacking parking. Because nobody convinced them otherwise.

So, in this time around, I would like to make the argument that, if New York City wants to win Congestion Pricing this time around, transportation advocates need to take some time to get out of the city, and attempt to win over Westchester, Rockland, and Long Island. Or at least one of them.

Because New Jersey can't vote.