A spoof article about supposed congestion pricing within the Hamptons over Labor Day weekend hit too near dwelling — and had some ticked-off readers flooding the governor’s workplace with offended calls.
The tongue-in-cheek piece within the newest challenge of Dan’s Papers went as far as to counsel that charges could be charged relying on the worth of a car — with vehicles price greater than $250,000 getting in at no cost as a result of “we’re glad to have the extremely, extremely, ultra-rich right here.”
Some readers simply didn’t get the joke.
“They imagine it,” Dan’s Papers Writer Vicky Schneps, who stated she acquired dozens of calls on the workplace, advised The Submit on Sunday. “They requested, ‘Is that this actually so?’ “
She stated some readers have been downright livid, calling the satirical piece “pretend information.”
“We don’t publish pretend information. We publish satire,” Schneps shot again, including that individuals ought to have recognized the article was clearly “excessive.”
The flap comes after Gov. Kathy Hochul famously pulled the plug on an precise congestion pricing plan for the Massive Apple in June, arguing that it was an excessive amount of for cash-strapped New Yorkers.
The Lengthy Island article by the Hamptons paper’s founder, Dan Rattiner, in its Aug. 29 version was labeled “satire” whereas claiming autos coming into the ritzy beachfront neighborhood between midnight Thursday and midnight Tuesday could be charged.
“At that time officers will resolve whether or not to deliver it again for Columbus Day weekend when crowds of cars as soon as once more make driving right here nearly unimaginable,” the article stated. “It has already been determined to deliver it again for the summer season of 2025.”
The Hamptons’ fake price would rely on the car’s price ticket, with vehicles “with low worth, corresponding to previous Toyota Corollas,” paying simply $5, however vehicles price as much as $60,000 pressured to pay $50.
Vehicles valued at as much as $100,000 would pay $200, with autos price and between $100,000 and $250,000 having to pay $999, in accordance with the article.
Homeowners of pricier vehicles could make “voluntary contributions” that may be paid “by verify, money, shares, bitcoin or cash order. All can be tax deductible,” the piece stated.
“Chances are you’ll discover the cloud of drones that hover over all of the entry factors into the Hamptons, taking footage of license plates to make it occur,” the article stated.
The income would go to state DOT, “not for the aim of constructing extra roads however for constructing pace bumps at 100-yard intervals on all current roads,” the jokey piece stated.
The spoof claimed Hochul had been secretly hatching the native plan for congestion pricing since final month, when she introduced a $2.5 million undertaking to revive Ditch Plans Seaside in Montauk — and Hamptons visitors allegedly made her miss her airplane again to Albany, shutting down state authorities for 3 hours.
The phony plan included penalties for scofflaws, together with a 60-day jail sentence and $1,000 high-quality for firing a weapon at a drone, making street rage a capital offense and calling for any car that makes a left flip at any Hamptons intersection to be impounde, “then crushed at a junkyard.”
What many readers appear to have missed was the notation on the finish of the article.
“Don’t panic, folks, this can be a joke! Clearly,” it learn.
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