looking South at E. 61th St. Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023 in Manhattan. Now they won't be used in Manhattan. Under the plan, drivers entering the core during most of the day would have paid as much as $15 via their EZ Pass toll transponder. Huchol said the cost was too much for many middle-class and lower households. Those in favor of the plans, which had been under development for many years, were upset to seem them cancelled just shortly before going into effect.
Such systems get criticized as making the roads mainly for the wealthy, even though everybody paid for them. But the Greek system, which looked egalitarian, just caused rich people to make sure they had two cars per commuter, one with each type of plate. Today, most roads are viewed as a “commons,” open for unrestricted use by all, but that also means they suffer a “tragedy of the commons” when 3,000 cars try to use a road that can handle only 2,000 and everybody suffers.
Money plays less of a role here, though the wealthy will always find solutions, such as hiring two personal chauffeurs or faking a commute for another resident of their home who doesn’t actually commute—but this would come with some risk if caught.