Better Roads Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85911
FinancialDistrict HOT Time in the Old Town Tonight Varying tolls to control congestion works. Sort of. Sometimes. C ongestion pricing cuts congestion. It's true. But it's not an entirely complete statement, because there are factors that mitigate the congestion- easing power. Road pricing or congestion pricing aims to motivate drivers to share rides, use transit, travel at less congested times, or pay to use tolled lanes. All proj- ects in operation are either: High-Occupan- cy Toll (HOT) lanes, which charge solo driv- ers to use newly-constructed lanes or car- pool lanes; or peak-period pricing projects, which charge a lower toll on already tolled roads, bridges and tunnels during off-peak periods. HOT lane tolls vary according to current demand; peak pricing projects cre- ate set fees for certain times of day. A new study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) shows that the 14 congestion pricing projects that have current and complete evaluations "generally show that pricing can help reduce conges- tion." But, says the report, "other results are mixed." And the GAO study did not look exhaustively into every functioning road pricing project. "Hot lane projects, which aim to reduce congestion by decreasing travel time and increasing speed and the number of ve- hicles using the lane, have reduced conges- tion," says the report. But there is a caveat. Some of those HOT lane projects also add- ed new lanes, and GAO data does not dis- tinguish the extent to which performance improvements were due to added lanes or pricing. High-Occupancy Vehicle road us- ers, who usually pay no toll because they have, efficiently, loaded up their vehicle, can Introducing Innovative Mobile Apps from ( … and early morning and late afternoon) By John Latta use HOT lanes without paying tolls. Some HOT lanes have improved travel time and speed. The number of cars using HOT lanes has risen, but there are fewer people riding in those cars because of an increase in the proportion of toll-paying solo drivers and/or a decrease in carpools. Peak-period pricing projects, however, did not appear to increase the number of people and vehicles using the targeted roads at peak times, although there has been some easing of congestion levels. The GAO expresses concern about income equity in these anti-congestion practices. Are the costs of congestion pricing users incur proportional to their incomes, or are low-income drivers dis- proportionately affected? For example, HCSS Fully-Integrated Construction Apps That Handle Real Work Time cards Estimates & proposals Change order estimates Designed for construction Flexible technology HCSS_BR0312pg30.indd 1 30 March 2012 Better Roads Job site photos & notes GPS location of trucks Alerts, reports, & much more! Constant internet not required Integrates with accounting Write 177 on Reader Service Card 2/16/12 8:18 PM Innovative Software for the Construction Industry 800-683-3196 www.hcss.com/apps