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Congestion Pricing * USA - What One Expert Thinks About in Portland
"I suggest you drive as much as possible, because who knows, soon you might have to pay for your right to burn rubber..."
Portland,ORE,USA -Willamette Week On Line, by Ari Phillips -December 1, 2009: ... The Oregon State Legislature has mandated that the Oregon Department of Transportation develop and implement a congestion pricing pilot in the Portland metro area by September 2012. Vehicles more than 10,000 pounds would be exempt, and revenue from the pilot program would be spent in the Portland area. Beyond those facts, very little is known... The process is still in the “learning mode” with the current goal being, Jeffrey N. Buxbaum who leads the tolling and road pricing practice at Cambridge Systematics, presentation came in his summary of a recent case study that looked at congestion pricing in several European cities , the most notable of these probably being the London and Stockholm “toll rings” in which drivers pay to enter a city or region of a city. The case study covered an array of topics, with some of the key points being:* Most European cities have experienced 14-23 percent reductions in traffic after congestion pricing has been imposed with the purpose of reducing traffic, and have therefore generally been considered successes.
* Initial public reaction to congestion pricing is typically negative. I mean you did used to drive on these roads for free!
* Congestion pricing is an imperfect science, with each city requiring its own unique master plan and special considerations. Many cities consider congestion pricing and then don’t go through with it because the economic impacts are too uncertain.
Portland has about three years to come up with some options, weigh them, and then test the most promising one – a “tight timescale” according to Buxbaum... (Photo USA091 - Seattle to Portland, Traffic Jam)
Labels: congestion pricing debate
posted by Unknown @ 9:59 AM
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