Congestion Charging Presentation for California Environmental Dialogue

Ed Pike, P.E. July 13, 2010

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International Council on Clean Transportation   Goal of the ICCT is to dramatically reduce conventional pollutant and greenhouse

gas emissions from all transportation sources in order to improve air quality and human health, and mitigate climate change.

  Promotes best practices and comprehensive solutions to:   Improve vehicle emissions and efficiency

  Increase fuel quality and sustainability of alternative fuels

  Reduce pollution from the in-use fleet, and

  Curtail emissions from international goods movement.

  The Council is made up of leading regulators and experts from around the world.

www.theicct.org

Congestion Charging Topics   What is congestion charging?

  Two international examples: London and Singapore

  ICCT-sponsored Santa Clara County, California study

What is a Congestion Charge ?   When roadways are congested, each

additional driver imposes an additional delay on every other driver

  Congestion Charges during congested times encourage different transit modes/times

  When congestion goes down, travel becomes faster and more reliable

  Unlike revenue tolls, congestion charges are not imposed 24/7

London Congestion Charge

  Major surface congestion causes delay and uncertainty for drivers and surface transit users (most travelers use transit)

  Cordon fee around dense downtown initially established in 2005 and later expanded

London Congestion Charge

London Congestion Charge   Initially 5 pounds, now at 8 pounds ($12)

with exemptions   Pay via Internet, text, retail location, phone

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London Congestion Charge   Cut traffic by 20-30% in original zone

  Increased bus ridership and cycling

  CO2 dropped 15-20%, Nitrogen Oxides & Fine Particulates by 10%

  No evidence of impact on business & economic activity

London Congestion Charge   Over $180 million in net revenue for bus and

other transportation improvements (FY 2007/8)

  High operating costs for camera-based system, FastTrak type system under investigation

Singapore Congestion Charge   Electronic Road Pricing started in 1970’s and

updated to electronic system with smartcards on-board the vehicle & camera enforcement

© 2005 Mailer Diablo

Singapore Congestion Charge   Price adjusted to keep traffic between 45-65

kph (28-40 mph)   Price increase in 2008 (peak fee $3 US)

accompanied by vehicle tax decrease

Singapore Congestion Charge   Transit share increased from 40% then to

60% now   Traffic decreased 31% in first ten years

despite 77% increase in vehicle ownership

What about California ?   Worst traffic in US – large city (San Jose area)

and very large city (LA area) categories   Congestion typically dips during recession,

then rebounds (red=worst, green=best)

source: Valley Transportation Authority “2008 Monitoring and Conformance Report”

Santa Clara County Study   ICCT sponsored congestion charging study

for Santa Clara County - investigate feasibility in area with diffuse development patterns rather than compact urban core

  Lead model development by consultant Charles Komanoff

  Feasibility-type study, not implementation-type study

Santa Clara County Study   Pricing levels (per mile) set at different levels

for different weekday times   Off-peak, weekend travel not charged   Freeways & major arterials would be tolled   Average per trip charge during congestion

hours: $1.73

Santa Clara County Study   Shaving peak traffic during congested hours

can make a big difference   Graph based on over 1000 Santa Clara

County data points

Santa Clara County Study   Estimated 2012 benefits to society outweigh costs   Amount of net benefit depends on amount of

traffic reduction in response to charge (“elasticity”), gas prices, drivers’ time valuation

Santa Clara County Study   Decreased travel time is largest projected

benefit, followed by gasoline savings   Pollution reductions are added benefit   Reduced crash costs anticipated but not

determined   Based on 2012 (assuming congestion growth

just under 1% per year)

Santa Clara County Study   System administration and “lost amenity” are

largest costs (lost amenity is due to a trip that the driver decided not to take due to charge)

  Congestion Charge payments/revenue are both a cost and a benefit – substantial revenue after paying system costs – Need to invest in transit to encourage switching – Can use for transportation purposes, target low

-income, and/or rebate

Santa Clara County Study   Average driver sees time savings benefit

about equal to charge paid – However, costs may seem more tangible than

benefits prior to implementation   Transit users see benefits

– Need transit upgrades to accommodate & encourage increased ridership when charge starts

  Substantial net charge revenue – Could be distributed per capita, targeted to low

-income, additional transportation uses, etc Slide 20

Privacy Options   Anonymous cash accounts   Smart card option would not need to collect

data on vehicle or driver (except for evaders)   “Firewalls” on data usage   Prompt data deletion

Conclusion   Congestion Charging has been implemented

successfully   Expected congestion benefits exceed

expected costs in Santa Clara County by a wide margin, with additional pollution reduction as a bonus

  However, potential Catch-22: costs may seem more tangible than the benefits before implementation – Education, outreach, leadership necessary

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Contact Information Ed Pike, P.E. ed@theicct.org (415) 202-5753 www.theicct.org

Congestion charging paper: http://www.theicct.org/programs

/climate_change/congestion_charging_paper_

Back-up Slides

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Area-wide charging technology examples

– European area-wide charging examples •  7500 miles of highway in Germany using GPS for

truck tolls •  1800 miles in Austria & Czech Republic using

overhead gantries & transponders for truck tolls

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“HOT” Lanes vs Carpool Lanes

Bay Bridge vehicle tolls   Base toll of $5   Increased by $1 weekday on-peak, decreased

by $1 weekday off-peak   New carpools toll for $2.50 (half of base toll)   Implemented July 1   Revenue Toll not Congestion Charge, but

with a partial congestion component

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