“To encourage motorists to drive into the city while the roads are less congested, the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority has issued recommendations for reduced congestion pricing tolls late at night to incentivize riders to travel overnight instead of during the day for nonessential trips. While I support the goal to more evenly distribute vehicle rides and ease traffic, I believe excluding taxis and ride sharing services will result in streets being less safe. The less incentives to hire a cab, the more incentives to drive after drinking. Ride sharing services, taxis and other on-demand transportation services have been valued partners in the crusade to make sure the public has a safe ride home whenever they consume alcohol, and to end drunk and impaired driving. [A study by The Review of Economics and Statistics] found that in cities where rideshare vehicles were readily available, traffic fatalities fell by more than 5%… [saving] hundreds of lives and billions of dollars annually. I urge the MTA to include on-demand ride services in their discounted overnight toll plan. It’s not only good for traffic, it’s common sense.”
– William Elliott, John R. Elliott HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers
Source: amNY
