After years of discussion and haggling finally on 1/5/25 New York City’s controversial ‘congestion pricing’ program went into effect. Basically it charges exorbitant fees for commuters to enter Manhattan in their vehicles from areas surrounding the city. One of the intents of the law is to push more people to public transportation.
While I cannot thoughtfully argue the pros and cons of ‘congestion pricing,’ I thought that Vickie Paladino had a creative way to voice her opposition. Ms. Paladino is a Republican council member representing parts of Queens. In other words, her constituents are the exact people who the congestion pricing is harming.
Ms. Paladino tweeted the following”
“Important warning: A high-powered green laser pointer like the ones you find on Ebay for under $30 can destroy a camera sensor. So if you buy one of these lasers, be sure to NOT point them at any cameras, because they could be permanently damaged!”
It is interesting that in London, ever since the government enacted ‘Ultra Low Emission Zones’ that punish people for driving older cars with higher emissions, people have been destroying the cameras used to spot those violators.
While neither any law-abiding person nor a city councilwoman can officially support disabling traffic cameras with a green laser pointer, will the sales of these gadgets soon start to skyrocket on eBay or Amazon?
Is Vickie Paladino advocating for using these laser pointers to destroy these cameras or is she advocating for NOT using these laser pointers to destroy these cameras? Read her words carefully! … Hmmm!
1/9/25