How Not To Handle NYC’s Traffic Congestion Problems

• Burden on Drivers: The fee adds an extra cost to driving into Manhattan, which can be a burden for people who rely on their cars for work or errands.
• Impact on Businesses: Some worry that the fee could discourage people from coming into Manhattan to shop or dine, hurting businesses that rely on foot traffic.
• Inequity Concerns: Critics argue that the fee will disproportionately impact low-income residents and those who live outside of Manhattan and rely on their cars to get to work.
• Enforcement Challenges: Ensuring everyone pays the fee and addressing potential issues of “toll shopping” (taking alternate routes to avoid tolls) require careful planning and enforcement.

According to a statement, “Diana Furchtgott-Roth is director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment and the Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow in Energy and Environmental Policy at The Heritage Foundation. She is an Oxford-educated economist, a frequent guest on TV and radio shows, and a columnist for Forbes.

“Diana worked in senior roles in the White House under Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. She has served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at the U.S. Department of Transportation; Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the U.S. Department of Treasury; Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor; Chief of Staff of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers; and Deputy Executive Secretary of the White House Domestic Policy Council.

“Diana is the author or coauthor of six books and hundreds of articles on economic policy, most recently United States Income, Wealth, Consumption, and Inequality (Oxford University Press, 2021). She received degrees in economics from Swarthmore College and Oxford University.”