Good as well as bad local news

Revealing bits of skillful in addition to bad local intelligence from the Chicago Tribune: Food trucks in addition to congestion pricing.


Our metropolis council is (finally) allowing Chicagoans to accept nutrient trucks. Sort of. They're restricted to particular nutrient truck areas , in addition to accept to follow a host of regulations , including gps trackers to brand surely they don't pass to a greater extent than than 2 hours inwards i place.

One of the rejected locations is on Broadway due south of Wellington Avenue. The East Lakeview Chamber of Commerce opposed it , proverb the location would allow nutrient truck vendors amongst lower overhead costs to unfairly compete amongst xx restaurants that each pass at to the lowest degree $150 ,000 a twelvemonth to keep their storefronts. As a trial , that location was removed , said Ald. Tom Tunney , 44th. 

.... "The businesses exactly don't experience that this is the correct matter to exercise for them when they are trying to brand a dime ," Maureen Martino , executive managing director of the East Lakeview Chamber , told members of the License in addition to Consumer Protection Committee..... she added. "And in that location is actually non a involve for to a greater extent than food."

Ah aye , every bit nosotros all know , the role of rule is to stifle contest , to run on prices upwardly in addition to thence that existing businesses tin "make a dime." And I'm delighted that the Chamber tin teach the metropolis council on the "need" for food.

In the skillful intelligence category , Chicago may finally larn congestion pricing on our freeways. This is , of course of education , an insanely skillful thought , that has solely been sitting inwards introductory economic science textbooks for thirty years or so.

The thought is beingness floated yesteryear the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning every bit a agency to pay for , in addition to brand the best usage of , novel lanes on half-dozen major Chicago-area roadways. These lanes would live "congestion-priced" inwards such a agency every bit to assure that traffic would ever catamenia at the posted speed bound of 55 mph.

Wait , you're kidding. We're non going to reserve them for carpools or electrical cars similar California does? Where is this abrupt bout of sanity coming from?

Skeptics volition come across this every bit an excuse to gouge motorists who are already saddled amongst high gasoline prices , heavy fuel taxes in addition to toll charges. Actually , i attraction of the thought is that if y'all would rather salve the coin , you'd accept every bit many lanes available every bit y'all exercise now. Only the people who seat a higher priority on their fourth dimension would accept to pay.

As prissy a description of "Pareto Improvement" every bit I accept seen inwards a newspaper. Yes , y'all in addition to I mightiness tell "let's congestion-charge the whole matter , in addition to tomorrow." But perhaps bundling it amongst novel lanes in addition to marketing it this agency volition larn yesteryear the park objections yesteryear people similar , tell , the City council (see above) in addition to sleeping room of commerce. The cost is , of course of education , many to a greater extent than years of delay until the novel lanes larn built.

If you're worried virtually beingness gouged , it's reassuring to take heed that the extra cost of a faster journeying would non live prohibitive – $2.76 per trip on the Stevenson in addition to $3.41 on the Eisenhower. Studies of congestion-priced lanes inwards other cities hollo for that fifty-fifty low-income drivers discovery them worth the cost when fourth dimension is short.

It's lovely to come across a paper usage the sensible words "priority on their time" rather than the senseless "can afford it" in addition to an assault on "special lanes for the 1% , " in addition to fifty-fifty document that thought every bit inwards the in conclusion sentence.

I want they had pointed out that the major exchange is exactly time: To salve coin y'all exactly schedule your trip off rush hour.

H5N1 pocket-size complaint. We all know plenty virtually economical modeling that $2.76 per trip is an impossibly precise estimate. I can't imagine that traffic engineers know elasticities amongst 2 orders of magnitude to a greater extent than precision than economists to.

The vivid side , in addition to my solely master 2 cents inwards this post: The doubt is win-win.  One of 2 things volition hand off amongst congestion pricing. People mightiness live willing to pay astounding amounts of coin to larn to O'hare at nine am Mon morning time , in addition to thence the costs skyrocket to $10 or $20. Great.   Our metropolis , country , in addition to federal governments are broke. Congestion taxes are every bit non-distorting every bit they get. Or , people plough out non to live willing to pay much , in addition to voluntarily reschedule or reroute to rest off busy roads. Great , nosotros voluntarily eliminate congestion. We can't lose.