It’s been three and a half years since I founded Pushcart Coffee — a New York-based coffee company specializing in creating gathering places for communities and platforms for entrepreneurs. We roast our own coffee and produce baked goods in the former Pfizer plant in South Williamsburg and then deliver the goods (and sometimes people) to our three coffeehouses in Manhattan’s Central Business District.
We go back-and-forth across the Williamsburg Bridge a lot, every day. And like many commercial vehicles whose destination is Manhattan, we’re stuck in traffic – a lot, every day. So much so, that we’ve resorted to devising clever ways to make deliveries by bicycle during day time working hours, because trying to hit the bridge when there is no traffic is nearly impossible and, well, it sucks to sit in bridge traffic. Not to mention, the loss of time and money.
When I first heard about this new tolling plan by designed “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz to solve the City’s transportation funding crisis, I admit, I was a bit skeptical. Charging tolls on the East River bridges? How would that be good for my business, which makes on average 4 crossings per 24-hour period?
Since Pushcart Coffee is still in that make-it-or-break-it phase of operating beyond the proverbial five years, I feared the addition of tolls could negatively impact my bottom line.
As a business owner, however, it’s my job to get to the bottom of everything business-related, so I started to poke around on Move NY’s website. I scribbled some figures on the back of an envelope. I made some inquiries. And I got some answers.
It turns out, the Move NY Fair Plan and its proposed tolls on the East River bridges, including the Williamsburg Bridge, is good for business, because it would make travel faster, safer, and fairer for all New Yorkers.
Under the plan, commercial drivers will only be charged one round-trip toll per 24-hour period ($10.66) regardless of how many crossings they make, allowing us unlimited access to the region’s core while benefitting from decreased traffic congestion. Delivery and service vehicles will move around up to 20% faster from 60th Street south; and in the neighborhoods on either side of the bridges – like Williamsburg, Long Island City, and Astoria – travel times will increase by up to 10%. That’s the equivalent of 3-4 more deliveries or service calls per day!
Plus, less traffic and safer streets (about 6,800 fewer crashes every year) make neighborhoods more attractive for foot and bike traffic, the kind of traffic a coffee shop owner loves.
But wait there’s more.
Suppose your business never requires travel into Manhattan (lucky you!). How does Move NY fare for small business owners in the other four boroughs? All tolls on the MTA bridges (Throg’s Neck, Whitestone, RFK, Verrazano, Henry Hudson, and the Far Rockaways) will be slashed by up to 48% per cent. Now those are real and tangible savings that will reduce the cost of doing business across the entire region.
Sounds too good to be true? It gets even better.
I asked myself: will this new revenue all go to mass transit? Nope! Gridlock Sam makes sure drivers get what they pay for. Potholes, ruts, and cracks cost NYC motorists an additional $694 a year in operating costs (that’s worth more than two months of East River crossings every day with the new toll!). 43% of the City’s bridges are rated “poor” by TRIP, a national transportation group. A quarter of Move NY funds – $375 million a year – will be dedicated to repairing and maintaining our roads and bridges, so far fewer of us will lose business because our delivery truck is in the repair shop.
I’m just one of tens of thousands of small business owners whose livelihoods depend on our and our customers’ ability to get around New York City as quickly and efficiently as possible. Move NY is a real shot at reducing gridlock and improving our roads and bridges. I don’t mind paying a small fee if it means less gridlock and more deliveries, and I’m certain that when my fellow business owners take a look at the Move NY plan, they’ll see the benefits, too.
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