01046879

Component

For centuries, cities have sought to enable circulation of people, goods, and services. The advent of new technologies (the urban railway, tram, bus and the car) changed the spatial layout of cities dramatically from the historic compact walking city, facilitating the growth of modern cities. In the late 20th century, it became clear that the accompanying growth of motor vehicles can bring its own problems. Road and parking space is finite, and the allocation of space by congestion, regulation, taxation, or the provision of new capacity in larger urban areas has its limitations. In the most congested locations, drivers are not paying sufficiently for the road and parking space that they consume. As a result, there is economic inefficiency and congestion hinders mobility of people, services and goods. A few cities - notably Singapore, London, and Stockholm - have introduced successful road pricing schemes to allocate limited road space more effectively. In looking to the future, cities and central governments can draw on the experience of these cities in considering their transport policy frameworks. But policymakers may wish to go further: localized charging, whilst effective in reducing congestion levels within a central urban area, may not fit readily within a wider urban or national charging scheme with a more comprehensive set of objectives. Such wider schemes, which might include vehicle emission criteria, could potentially address a broader range of policy objectives.

01042056

07-2203

English

17p

2007

Transportation Research Board 86th Annual Meeting

CD-ROM

Figures (5) ; References (3)

Congestion management systems; Congestion pricing; Exhaust gases; Mode choice; Road pricing; Urban transportation policy; User charges

Greater London; Singapore; Stockholm (Sweden)

Economics; Finance; Highways; Society; I10: Economics and Administration

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2007 Paper #07-2203

BTRIS, TRIS, TRB

Feb 8 2007 6:53PM