Photo: Getty Images
Congestion pricing is hardly the only idea Mayor Bloomberg has to separate Manhattan motorists from their money. He’s now proposing harsher penalties for “blocking the box.” Under his plan the fine will only go up from $90 to $115. Even better, instead of a cop pulling the culprit over in the middle of traffic to write a ticket, probably worsening the jam in the process, a red-light camera will simply snap a picture of the offender’s license plate. Before you know it, the ticket’s in the mail. Incidentally, the new rule should open up a nice and steady revenue source for the city, as new research suggests we don’t know what the hell we’re doing behind the wheel. In a recent nationwide test of driver knowledge, New Yorkers finished dead last; even New Jerseyans did better. One of the questions asked the proper protocol for approaching a yellow light. The answer was, shockingly, not “honk and floor it.”
’Block’-Heads Better Beware [NYP]
New Yorkers Stop For Yellow Light? Hey, Fuhgeddaboudit! [NYDN]
