Well the big news around here is that our governor just bailed on congestion pricing, which was supposed to start at the end of this month:Were addressing affordability and the cost of living in New York.Watch: https://t.co/rdFzgTf72D pic.twitter.com/cDv3lLHdaN Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) June 5, 2024Ive been skeptical about congestion pricing (not the concept so much as our implementation of it and rationale for it), but the stated reason for not doing congestion pricing is even more spurious than the stated reason for doing congestion pricing. It was supposed to reduce traffic, clean the air, and create funding to make public transit better so the city wouldnt be such a shithole, but now we cant do it since the city has become too much of a shithole? Regardless, clearly whats really going on is that the ruling party is afraid of how this will affect them in the upcoming elections because theres a sense out there that this is yet another case of progressivism run amok, so like a guy without a condom theyre pulling out at the very last moment.Naturally theres been much disagreement over congestion pricing lo these past years, with both sides putting forth arguments both rational and zany, but ironically in this messy post-coital moment everyone is mostly right. The lefty-loosies are correct that the governor is spineless:And the righty-tighties are correct that its insane to trust these people:The unpopularity of congestion pricing, and it's eventual demise, comes down to one thing TRUST.Because if we're completely honest, a nominal toll to entire Manhattan during peak business hours should never have been an 75-25 issue in a place like NYC. Yet congestion pricing Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (@VickieforNYC) June 5, 2024By the way, according to the person whos dedicated his life to advancing congestion pricing, that air pollution it was going to help address isnt even a problem in the first place:First SUVs were melting the planet, now theyre mostly harmless:Its getting harder and harder to keep up with the latest trends in climate change. Its almost like people turn the urgency setting up and down depending on what their own agenda happens to be at the time.At this point it would be both simultaneously interesting and horrifying to learn how much the money the state has spent on the wet spot on the sheets that is the congestion pricing plan over the past five years, but in any case attempts to tame the streets will probably remain decidedly low-tech for the foreseeable future:Breaking news: As summer heats up, were cracking down on the ongoing use of illegal mopeds and scooters on our streets that endanger pedestrians and are often used in crimes.Weve already removed nearly 42,000 of these illegal vehicles from our streets since the start of this pic.twitter.com/fEP3vWoF26 Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) June 5, 2024Unlike congestion pricing, which is way too sophisticated and highbrow, politically speaking crushing scooters is a winner, since New Yorkers pretty much universally detest them, and at this point there are maybe three or four Streetsblog readers left who are still doing the whole but cars! thing when the subject comes up, but thats about it.Like many people across the country I often find myself laughing at New York City and the silly problems its denizens so often bring upon themselves, but then I remember that I live here, so I pretend that I dont by hopping on a bike and heading for the hills:Now that Im finally out of the seemingly interminable overhauling phase I can finally enjoy the bike:And I am enjoying it:It may be a keeper.