If any US city could sucessfully implement a London-style congestion charge, it would be the New York City borough of Manhattan. The New York Times reports yesterday that this may indeed happen, someday. In my opinion, cars ought to be banned from large swaths of the island because their utility is negligable compared to the amount of land devoted to them. That aside, there are externalities associated with congestion charging that should be considered. Mainly, the massive operating costs. London's charging scheme employes a great many people, and cost millions of pounds to implement. It is claimed that the costs are being covered by fees, and NYC ought to be certain that it can replicate that success before embarking on a similar plan - and that any extra money goes straight to public transportation, or other public good, such as parks and greenspace.
However, if you've every ridden a midtown bus (don't, it's faster to walk) then a 30% reduction in the number of cars on the street (as has occured in London, should be music to your ears.
Anything that can prevent congestion in Manhattan would be welcome. Who need traffic.
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