Congestion Pricing

A correspondent reports:

Thursday, July 20, 2006 at 2:30 pm New York City Council250 Broadway, 14th Floor Hearing Room (across from City Hall).

Here is a little something to think about as the fine particulate matter settles deep into your lungs on this lovely Ozone Alert Day. While New York City politely suggests via electronic highway billboard and half-assed p.r. campaigns, that motorists switch to mass transit on days like today, the BBC reports that the Mayor of London wants to reprogram the city's three-year-old congestion charging system to hit the owners of the most heavily polluting personal vehicles with a whopping £25 fee to drive into the city center (that's $45!).

The IMPACTS conference web site turns out to be a treasure trove of the latest information on how congestion pricing is working in the European cities that are trying it.

"The tragic loss of two bicyclists this week has shocked all of us and our thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families and friends. Unfortunately, New York City's crowded streets often cause conflict between cars and bicyclists as they attempt to share limited space." -- NYC DOT statement, June 29, 2006.

Manhattan-bound on the Brooklyn Bridge this morning, on the way to Transportation Alternatives' City Hall rally. The traffic jam on the right, the smog-cloaked city in the background, the sparsely populated bike path -- this is what a broken transportation system looks like.

This afternoon we met up with Stefan Schaefer, director, producer and editor of the new documentary film, "Contested Streets."

On January 3rd, Stockholm, Sweden became the latest major world city to begin managing and controlling motor vehicle traffic with congestion charging, an automated system that charges motorists a fee to drive into the most gridlocked sections of the city center. The fee varies depending on the time of day and level of traffic congestion.

When London set up its congestion charging system in 2002, the city purposely decided to allow very few exemptions from the fee. Whether you are an elected member of Parliament, an off-duty police officer, or the head of Transport for London, it doesn't matter. You are still paying £8 ($14) if you want to drive into the crowded center of the city. Limiting exemptions made the law simpler, fairer and easier to enforce.