Drivers fed up with New York City’s expensive toll roads are carpooling to save a few dollars on the George Washington Bridge, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Bridge commuters can save $6 a vehicle by using the “carpooling” lane. Because of this, some rogue drivers have started picking up hitchhikers determined to save money (and help others save money, too).
According to the WSJ, the George Washington Bridge’s toll booths bring in $625 million for the city. Toll cheats like this cost the city $7 million.
Port Authority police have caught on to the carpooling scheme. Officers patrolling the bridge have started issuing citations to drivers who pick up passengers near the toll booths. Picking up a hitchhiker isn’t illegal, so the police nab these drivers through tickets for an illegal lane change or stopping at a bus stop (a bus stop near the bridge is popular place for these drivers to pick up passengers).
via Business Insider.
Before I took a little break, I wrote about Cook County raising cigarette taxes and have revenue plummet. This is just another fine example of people changing their behavior in order to avoid taxes.
The more you tax something the less you get of it.
Once I was hitchhiking in southern California and this lady picked me up in Oceanside. She picked me up so that she could drive in the diamond lane (for two or more riders in a car). She took me all the way to Simi Valley. It was a great ride. No one else was in the diamond lane.