Paying for Roads and Pricing Transportation

Image via Wikipedia Do Roads Pay for Themselves? Setting the Record Straight on Transportation Funding (45 page pdf, U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Jan. 2011) Also discussed here: do roads pay for themselves? (Human Transit, Jan. 6, 2011) Although the report reviewed today examines how roads are paid for in the USA (and how that is [...]

Congestion and Road Pricing in Canada

Stuck in traffic -Our rush hours rank with the world’s worst (Macleans, Jan. 11, 2011) Also discussed here: The Canadian Case for Congestion Pricing (Pollution Free Cities, Aug. 19, 2010) And here: Congestion Pricing Discussion Paper (17 page doc, City of Ottawa Environmental Advisory Committee, May 13, 2010) Today’s review article looks at the state of [...]

Impacts of Road Tolls, Parking Rates and Lane Reductions on Urban Pollution

  Traffic control policies to reduce pollution in Perth CBD ( 24 page pdf, 25th Conference of the Australian Institutes of Transport Research, 2003) The article reviewed today looks at the impact of varying four traffic controls on pollution levels: fixed and varying road toll charges, parking rates and lane reductions. The results indicate a [...]

What Comes Next after Parking Meters

Time Expired – The end of the parking meter (Slate, Oct. 19, 2010) Also discussed here: Prize-winning innovators Skymeter could revolutionize parking — and eliminate traffic (YongeStreet,  Jun. 2, 2010) And here: Skymeter And here: Who pays for free parking? (Pollution Free Cities Aug. 23, 2010) Congestion and air fouled by emissions from traffic on [...]

Transit, Road Pricing and Congestion

Image via Wikipedia What Does Transit Do About Traffic Congestion? (updated-Human Transit, July 30, 2010) Also discussed here: The Triple Convergence (Walkable Streets) And here: The anti-transit shell game (Cap’n Transit Rides Again, Dec.15, 2009) And here: The “Transit Isn’t Green Because It Runs Empty” Line (Human Transit, Dec. 15,2009) A thoughtful article today about [...]

Congestion Pricing in Chicago

Congestion Pricing Coming to Chicago? (The City Fix, July 14, 2010) Also discussed here: The Road Less Traveled: Exploring Congestion Pricing in Chicagoland (20 page pdf, Illinois Tollway,  Metropolitan Planning Council, July 10, 2010) And here: To cut gridlock, drivers should pay for fast lane, new study says (Chicago Tribune, July 14, 2010) And here: [...]

Using Road Tolls to pay for Transit in Canada’s Largest City

Image via Wikipedia The Move Ahead: Funding “The Big Move” (28 page pdf, Toronto Board of Trade, May 19,2010) Also discussed here: Road tolls one of 16 ideas to pay for transit (Toronto Star, May 29, 2010) And here (referring to a report from the Environmental Commissioner for Ontario): Report suggests road tolls to fight [...]

A Future Transportation System for a Large City

Independent Public Inquiry into a Long-Term Public Transport Plan for Sydney (572 page pdf,  26 May 2010) This report, independent of government but based on many public submissions, is focussed on options for an urban transportation system in 2040, given the population increases and demands of Australia’s largest city which is quite similar to the [...]

Getting People out of Cars

Magic Formula for Transit Ridership (Cap’n Transit Rides Again,  Sep. 13, 2009) An older article on the theme of promoting greater use of transit has a great graphic (shown below) and an interesting analysis of options which depend on the strength of the road (car) lobby. Key Quotes: “the magic formula: 1. Give transit its [...]

“the degree to which the businesses are acting against their own self-interests”

Gary Mason,  a leading journalist from Canada’s greenest and 3rd largest city,  writes today on “Bring on taxes – if they spur transit“.  He explains how higher downtown parking rates help to reduce traffic and pollution downtown, as well as provide funds for a much more efficient and comfortable  alternative, rapid transit ( “the Canada [...]

Congestion Charging Around the World

Shaping urban traffic patterns through congestion charging: What factors drive success or failure? (27 page pdf, Research Institute of Applied Economics 2008) Key Quotes: “the costs derived from congestion for U.S. urban areas. .. less than 15 billion of dollars in 1982, and today represents almost 80 billion ..each dollar spent in highways only reduces [...]

E-Tolls, Australia

Interesting article from Sydney in Australia which discusses the efficiency of collecting tolls, using the London (license plate photo camera recognition) or Singapore (e-tags) models – or both as is used in Brisbane –  or satellite tracking of in vehicle GPS units, as well as the willingness to accept tolls by the local population’s  past [...]

Congestion Pricing: Still Good For Basically Everyone

Congestion Pricing: Still Good For Basically Everyone (fromDC.STREETSBLOG ) – some good thoughts about congestion pricing and its potential health benefits Here is the start: “Urbanists often find themselves falling into a pattern of thinking that boils down to the dictum that what’s good for drivers must be bad for walkability, and sustainability, and all [...]

User Based Charges for Transportation Funding

Implementable Strategies for Shifting to Direct Usage-Based Charges for Transportation Funding (150 pages pdf) by the US National Academy of Sciences (june 2009) Excerpts: “This document describes trends in fuel-tax revenue and VMT growth that suggest the motivation for considering such fees, and then describes how currently available technology and administrative structures might be used [...]

15 cents a mile for no traffic?

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=2391 15 cents a mile for no traffic? – Greater Greater Washington Source: greatergreaterwashin… If the Washington region charged around 15 cents per mile for use of the region’s freeways around rush hour, traffic congestion would virtually disappear, the Federal Highway Administration concluded in a recent report. … Another idea for reducing cngestion and resulting [...]

Parliament backs “polluter pays” principle for lorry charges

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/062-51411-068-03-11-910-20090310IPR51410-09-03-2009-2009-false/default_en.htm Eurovignette: Parliament backs “polluter pays” principle for lorry charges Source: www.europarl.europa.eu Transport (Press release) : Charges on heavy-goods vehicles should be based in part on the air and noise pollution they produce, according to legislation approved by the European Parliament today. Charging …

THE CONGESTION TAX IN STOCKHOLM – EFFECTS ON AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH

THE CONGESTION TAX IN STOCKHOLM – EFFECTS ON AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH | BAQ 2008 Source: http://baq2008.org/sw34-burman The congestion tax in Stockholm has resulted in a reduction in the volume of traffic in Stockholm’s inner city. This has led to lower emissions of carbon dioxide, particles and nitrogen oxides