You sit in traffic and then you die

Lower-income people aren't driving themselves into the city and parking downtown; they're trying to finagle transferring between two buses and a train and hoping that they can make their next connection in time because the next bus isn't for 20 minutes.

Based on his comments about bus lanes, it really seems more like he's more concerned about any kind of public outcry than any form of evidence:

To create one bus lane last year in Roslindale, the city prohibited parking each weekday morning on one side of Washington Street — a step that the mayor assumed would backfire.

“I thought there’s no way the community will want this,” Walsh said, adding that the bus lane and similar initiatives that eliminated parking spots have been largely embraced.

You know what I don't see there? Anything close to "well we thought people might not like this, but we crunched the numbers and found that it would improve congestion a lot so we decided to do it anyway because it's the right thing to do even if its politically unpopular"

For example, I live around the corner from a Tufts Medical Center parking lot that they say they need for personnel for whom the T is not an option.

There's no reason the state couldn't start the process of investigating a congestion charge if they wanted to even without an explicit ask from the city, but it's easier to push it off to Marty Walsh. Either way, someone needs to step up and take some actual responsibility here, but between Baker and Walsh, I don't see that happening any time soon.

If I remember correctly, the Keolis Kutbacks and the huge fare hike on commuter rail that accompanied them caused a huge jump in the cost of parking and the number of people who just said "screw this I'll drive". That was 2012? 2013?

The cost to park in the mudlots jumped 50% overnight. If those lot operators knew what was up, then why didn't DOT?

Walsh drove when he still lived on Tuttle Street and when he was still a state rep, a one minute walk from the Savin Hill Red Line station. People would kill for that kind of T access.

His new house is perhaps a 3 minute walk to a T stop.

I know he has a sweet mayoral parking spot but like, take the T sometimes?

A toll is not a resource. I don't think every opportunity to charge for something equals source of entitled income.

The idea is that a toll targets people that are using government infrastructure to pay the cost of the infrastructure. We need investment in local infrastructure that would allow alternative transportation to compete better with private automobile transportation. By compete, I mean speed , coverage and price. For this, targeting private cars makes sense.

Whether it is constitutional to charge a toll for the express purpose of discouraging use of that resource is an open question to me.

All state and local infrastructure creates tax revenue by encouraging business growth and higher real estate values, so a congestion toll is technically taxing something that already generates tax revenue.

Currently I can ride my bike 5 miles downtown in less or equal amount time than it takes to use public transportation. Because of congestion, it takes longer for me to drive. Therefore, I never drive to work unless I absolutely have too. My boss will usually authorize parking in the building if I ask, but it still takes longer to drive.

As far as burdening poor people goes, you can avoid a toll if you plan your route. It may not be helpful to put tolls on highway exits and clog all the street level routes. These routes are crowded already with "shortcut crazies". I think we should keep as many people as possible on the highways. Narrowing the boulevards with bus lanes seems more effective to me.

Morrisey, Broadway, Centre, Columbia, Columbus, and Mass Ave should be 2 car lanes maximum. If four lane roads were removed from the city, then car traffic would reduce significantly. I guess the six lane roads could go to 4 lanes. Then you would not need tolls.

Why does that matter?