00176480

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org...ubs/sr/sr181/sr181-007.pdf

From the standpoint of politically feasible public policy, road pricing currently appears to hold promise not so much as the marginal-cost pricing measure for efficient road use but rather as an autombile-disincentive component of overall transportation improvement programs. Road pricing that levies special charges on low-occupancy vehicles appears to be more effective in improving mobility than other more general changes in prices or taxes. Of several alternative forms of road pricing, the most effective form available today is the use of a supplementary license to enter the zone or travel in the zone. However, actual experience with road pricing in the U.S. is very limited. Proposals have been developed for Caracas, Bristol, London and Singapore and desk studies have taken an in-depth look at planning, marketing, and implementation aspects of road pricing, and have evaluated the impacts of such strategies. Evaluation results from the Bristol study suggest that a cordon-crossing supplementary licensing scheme would be more efficient in achieving the modal shift and increased mobility than areawide licences, exclusive bus lanes, parking surcharges and parking restrictions. The highly successful Singapore plan includes road pricing and expansion of public transportation. It produces revenues far in excess of the expenditures. In spite of the relatively positive information from abroad, however, it is hazardous to make definitive estimates of the major impacts of road pricing in the American context.

This paper appeared in Transportation Research Board Special Report No. 181, Urban Transportation Economics. It contains proceedings of Five Workshops on Pricing Alternatives, Economic Regulations, Labor Issues, Marketing, and Government Financing Responsibilities held by Transportation Research Board. Sponsored by Office of the Secretary, Federal Highway Administration, and Urban Mass Transportation Administration of DOT; Environmental Protection Agency; and Federal Energy Administration. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

00176473

pp 26-27

1978

Transportation Research Board Special Report

Digital/other

Administration; Automobile travel; Disincentives; Impact studies; Licenses; Mode choice; Public transit; Road pricing; Urban transportation; Vehicle occupancy

Zone

Administration and Management; Economics; Highways; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Society

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Nov 14 1982 12:00AM