Affordability for a single person

I think we discussed the index last year, one note is they should probably do a chart thats like % not $ delta between the median wage & affordable rent wage.
On the face of it the chart makes NYC look the worst ($140k affordable rent wage vs $82k median wage). However on a % basis, for example, San Diego looks awful - ($80 affordable rent wage vs $30 median wage)

Can't get the 2024 link up as I'm not a subscriber..
Obviously NYC is the most walkable & transit friendly city in North America hands down. Comparisons to Europe are challenging as these stats usually use "metro areas" and we have more suburban sprawl offsetting the city core numbers than Europe does..

Very good point. It should also account for taxes which are high in both cities.

what a ridiculous index that compares walkability in one city to that of other cities where you have to take an airplane to get to in order to even make such a comparison.

A lot of that data could be shared in studies.

Related to walkability thought this was interesting: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/27/nyregion/street-wars-e-bikes.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vE0.nFO7.y5UHK2BxIPHa&smid=url-share

I'd be curious to know what people on this forum think about the effect of ebikes on livability. One man's environmentally responsible solution and dining in amenity is another man's public menace.

They’re fine in theory but a menace when used illegally. Perhaps dining apps should be forced to track e-bikes, send details of routes to the city, and the city fines the app for every wrong-way road taken, every speed violated, every red light passed, etc.? Same for taxis & Ubers too?

Nada, Those delivery e-bikes are indeed a huge hazard. I would think with an E-bike reducing the need to pedal, they would follow more rules as in not drive wrong way, riding on the sidewalk etc. But many don't.

E-bikes are a total menace, on a daily basis I almost get hit by them as they are oblivious to the road rules. I’ve seen more than one barrel through a red light on the street without any thought. With cars, at least if you get hit by one, you feel they will at least stop to render aid and/or have insurance. I am 99% sure if you get hit by an e-bike, they will not stop and even if you could find them, they don’t have any insurance like car drivers. I realize many e-bikes do follow the rules but just from my unscientific observation when I walk my dog or go on runs, many do not follow the law at all

Ebikes: Total menace. Untrained, uninsured, unlicensed, essentially untraceable.

Not to mention battery fires.

two observations
1) biggest danger from beginner riders for personal purposes, not delivery people who tend to be a bit more experience, although i did observe two delivery people collide on a bike path yesterday
2) read somewhere that apps actually punish drivers for delays. I wonder if it is even possible for them to follow laws and deliver within the timeframes pushed down by apps

They drive like they did in their homeland. This is the most accessible entry level job for them.

@krolik: disagree: the beginners are the ones who are more likely to be cautious, until they do something stupid. The delivery people are more experienced, and are more willing to (and possibly capable of) pushing the boundaries of safety, often with disregard for others, for the reasons listed above. The success of delivery services/apps, like Uber and AirBnb, is predicated on not having the expenses of regulatory compliance, and pushing the risks of the same off onto others. None of the providers of the delivery apps gives a flying * how many people their delivery 'contractors' injure, or how unsafe or unpleasant they make the streets, despite their direct contribution to the problem. If there was licensing, training, insurance, and enforcement it might well add $30 to the cost of a delivered burger. At which point people might heave themselves off their sofa, get out, and participate in the street life of the city, which could be a significant improvement for everybody.

Cleary more regulation is needed for e-bikes used for commercial purposes. Fines on the restaurants and delivery companies for violation.

Aaron2, I share your opinion on people getting on the street rather than sitting on their sofa eating delivery. Beyond improving street life, I imagine it would improve their quality of life. If you ask me, there is something seriously wrong with the notion of eating a lukewarm burgers, steaks, salmon, etc. Certain classes of food travel well and can be reheated without loss of quality, but others do not.

But alas, people should be able to live the miserable lives they want to live — freedom and all. So the best solution I can come up with is to force the apps to track and fine based on that info.

One if the nicest things about NYC is its street life and conviviality (partly due to population density). It took a knock during COVID and is still recovering. So yay to getting off couches and interacting with humanity.

That was one positive of living in mostly s***** apartments for most of my time in NYC.... Restaurants and cafes were a refuge a sport...

The third space -