This report summarizes several actual and potential congestion-charging programs aimed in reducing motor-vehicle traffic. It notes many of the environmental and fiscal benefits such programs can produce, from a 15%–20% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and reduction in fine particulates and other pollutants to generating revenues to support development of transit and other transportation system options.
This report summarizes several actual and potential congestion-charging programs aimed in reducing motor-vehicle traffic: in-place systems in London, Singapore, and Stockholm; a 1980s pilot program and subsequent follow-on studies in Hong Kong; and a 2007 ICCT-sponsored study of Santa Clara County, California. The study notes many of the environmental and fiscal benefits such programs can produce, from a 15%–20% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and reduction in fine particulates and other pollutants to generating revenues to support development of transit and other transportation system options. The range of technologies available to implement congestion-pricing systems is considerable and diverse. But public acceptance remains a hurdle, requiring effective leadership and communication.