
New Yorkers Will Pay $56 a Month to Trim a Minute Off Their Commute - state_machine
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/new-yorkers-will-pay-56-a-month-to-trim-a-minute-off-their-commute/
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state_machine
Personally I value (lack of) variance much more than absolute duration: I can
easily plan around a either a 19 or 22 minute commute as long as that's
consistent -- it's the needing to allow for 20-40 (looking at you, MUNI) that
made planning hard, and that I'll pay a premium to avoid.

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rdlecler1
20 days x 2 trips a day equals 40 minutes. If you have two people in your
household that jumps to nearly an hour and a half of time savings per month
for $56. Not horrible. This doesn't factor in qualitative benefits of being
closer to other amenities (that tend to be near to train stations).

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davidf18
The high rents are caused by "economic rents" \-- politically created scarcity
by using zoning laws to artificially limit housing density and also by the
overuse of historic landmark status. Both of these actions make the land
artificially scarce and therefore people pay more for rent than they would in
an efficient market without the market failure of the "economic rent."

The result is that rents pay more than they should without the market failure
and landlords like Donald Trump earn far more than they would if the zoning
laws were fixed.

