ultimately people that are not able to pay will have travel restricted further than high cost of owning a vehicle does and trapped citizens will not equal democracy when only the privileged get to travel
According to Google Maps during rush hour a car can take 24 minutes to 55 minutes, with an average of 45 minutes to go from Battery Park to Central Park.
It takes less than 2 hours walking from Battery Park to Central Park. Note, this is a slow walk.
Biking takes less than 36 minutes for the same distance. Note, this is for a leisure bike ride.
Cars are also a major air, and noise polluter. On top of that cars also kill and injure people.
If you think about it, cars restrict travel of people in Manhattan than anyone else.
Of the many things that can be publicly subsidised and made available to the public at large, car travel to one of the densest areas of the country might not be one of the most worthy.
There are discounts and tax credits for those with low income who live in the area, and exemptions for people with medical conditions that prevent them from using public transit source.
Street parking in NYC is $9 an hour, and long term parking garages typically charge like $400 per month. If you’re driving in NYC the $9 per day congestion pricing isn’t going to be the thing that makes it unaffordable.
Another commenter shared Tokyo, and I can explain what they did:
Tokyo as a whole made it extremely difficult to own cars. To own one, you need to prove to the government that you have a dedicated parking space. There's also a high tax on it and on insurance premiums. My Japanese friend told me how his family used to car share with the entire neighborhood. Uncertain if this is a Tokyo thing.
Public transportation is ridiculous. You are always about a 10 minute walk to a subway or bus.
Highways are underground, which encourages cars to get out of the street level.