Freight to GCT?

Carload freight would be too much to handle in most areas of NYC. Big businesses that used to handle freight car loads have long since gone. Not many businesses take more than a hand truck load of freight. What would make more sense for the alleviation of traffic congestion would be to ban truck deliveries in the city until after the end of rush hour 7PM to 6AM. In NYC, rush hour is really from 6AM-9AM and 3PM-7PM. A large source of traffic congestion is double parked trucks both tying up traffic and blocking in parked cars.

Mike Kieran wrote:What would make more sense for the alleviation of traffic congestion would be to ban truck deliveries in the city until after the end of rush hour 7PM to 6AM.

What would alleviate congestion even more would be banning private cars between 6AM and 7PM. Having the trucks going into Manhattan serves more people than having the cars go into Manhattan.

Adirondacker wrote:What would alleviate congestion even more would be banning private cars between 6AM and 7PM. Having the trucks going into Manhattan serves more people than having the cars go into Manhattan.

So any private individual carrying more stuff than is convenient to carry on the subway is out of luck, right?

Like a salesman with samples perhaps?

What's the problem? Don't you remember the scene in "The Music Man" with the traveling salesmen on the train?
"You gotta know the territory."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ9U4Cbb4wg

Passenger wrote:

Adirondacker wrote:What would alleviate congestion even more would be banning private cars between 6AM and 7PM. Having the trucks going into Manhattan serves more people than having the cars go into Manhattan.

So any private individual carrying more stuff than is convenient to carry on the subway is out of luck, right?

Like a salesman with samples perhaps?

Sales people carrying samples are an extraordinarily small fraction of the people driving into Manhattan. Probably already has commercial license plates because there are wide swaths of Manhattan where only commercial vehicles can park during the day. Lugging the samples three blocks from the parking garage is just as difficult as lugging the samples from the subway. Alternatively implement a congestion charge. The salesman would be willing to pay it because with less congestion he or she would be able to see more customers in a day. So would the truck driver, more deliveries in a day. Keep raising the congestion charge until enough people, who aren't carrying lots of stuff, start to take the bus or the train.

That "congestion charge" will be added to the freight bill along with the "fuel surcharge",most if not all of the Major Trucking Fleets
would fight the "congestion charge" with UPS+ FED-X leading the way to fight it!! NY City has an overall lenght law that is somewhat
uninforceable to begin with,why you think USPS keep those antique Mack Cabovers around? So USPS can leagally haul a 53 ft trailer in
the NYC!! While under STAA rules trucks are allowed 3 miles off the nearest Interstate, it tends to be 5-8 miles to the delivery/pickup point.
FYI,Most sales reps use a company suppllied laptop nowadays. Would most likely ship samples via UPS after getting a "nibble"

Backshophoss wrote:UPS+ FED-X leading the way to fight it!!

The UPS and FedEx vehicles you see making small deliveries and pickups are garaged on Manhattan. SInce they wouldn't be passing the congestion toll collection point they won't be paying it. Or alternately since they are garaged in Manhattan they will be exempt. UPS and FedEx make money delivering and picking up packages. SItting in traffic costs them money. I'm sure the accountants have chewed on the numbers and could, if you asked them, could tell you how much they would save with free flowing traffic. They will love it.

FED-X,FED-X Ground,UPS feed their Distrubution Hubs with 28ft "pup" trailers/Day cabs,they go thru the toll boothes and run on the streets.
Fed-X Freight,ABF,Yellow/Roadway deilver from their "pups" on the street,they would be subject to your "congestion charge",as would every
major fleet delivering in city limits. They WILL FIGHT the "congestion charge".
Even if this charge was applied to ALL private motor vehicles entering the city on roads,highways and bridges.
CSX/Conrail shut the door to rail freight to Manhatten with the sale of the W 30th st branch to Amtrak.
(It was part of the conditions of sale!)

Backshophoss wrote:FED-X,FED-X Ground,UPS feed their Distrubution Hubs with 28ft "pup" trailers/Day cabs,they go thru the toll boothes and run on the streets.
Fed-X Freight,ABF,Yellow/Roadway deilver from their "pups" on the street,they would be subject to your "congestion charge",as would every
major fleet delivering in city limits. They WILL FIGHT the "congestion charge".
Even if this charge was applied to ALL private motor vehicles entering the city on roads,highways and bridges.
CSX/Conrail shut the door to rail freight to Manhatten with the sale of the W 30th st branch to Amtrak.
(It was part of the conditions of sale!)

Why wouldn't a congestion charge apply to all vehicles with minor exemptions?

The trucks in Manhattan make money when they are delivering product. Or in the case of shipping companies like UPS and FedEx when they deliver other people's product and pick them up. They aren't making money sitting in traffic.
Truck drivers don't donate their labor. Or the mechanics or the oil companies the fuel. Trucks don't grow on trees and when UPS builds one it costs a lot of money, Congestion charges don't need health insurance, worker compensation, 401-k matches or a human resources department or IT support. They don't use fuel or need to be maintained by a mechanic who gets health insurance etc. If large trucks are making 50 trips a day into Manhattan and they need 20 trucks and drivers to do that because they waste time and fuel in congestion and they can do it with 18 trucks and drivers with less congestion it makes sense for them to pay the congestion charges.

So, um... these drivers that will be gently encouraged to ride mass transit... where is that added capacity coming from? Some subway lines are already at or near capacity, and just because a line has capacity to spare, that doesn't mean that the new riders live anywhere near that line, nor does it mean that they can afford to use it (in the case of the LIRR / MNCR / NJT).