Congestion Charging - An Idea Whose Time Has Come? Centre asks states to consider levying congestion tax TOI Urban Mobility India 2013 Dr. Adnan Rahman Cambridge Systematics, Inc. 26 November 2013 Transportation leadership you can trust.
What is congestion? Roads are congested when commuting times are on average 25% longer than offpeak travel times 2
Congestion Imposes Many Externalities Direct Costs Indirect Costs Health & Quality of Life Economic Health Economic Air Pollution Delays Noise Vehicle Operating Costs Lack of Reliability Safety Productivity Excess Fuel Consumption Suppressed Demand Housing Demand 3
Regardless of its Definition, the Costs of Traffic Congestion in Cities are Large Urban Area Costs Included Cost (Million USD) Cost per Capita Percent of GRP Jakarta (2010) a Fuel, other VOC, delay $5,200 $542 5.7% Connaught Place, New Delhi CBD b Fuel, delay, other emissions (not CO 2 ) $29 $644 N/A Sydney (2005) c Fuel, other VOC, delay, reliability, CO 2, other emissions $3,500 $761 1.6% Chicago Area (2010) d Fuel, delay $8,200 $921 1.1% New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT Fuel, delay $9,800 $527 1.8% (2010) d Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana (2010) d Fuel, delay $11,000 $618 1.5% Chicago Area (2010) e Fuel, delay, other emissions (not CO 2 ), reliability, VOC New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT Fuel, delay, other emissions (not CO 2 ), (2010) e reliability, VOC Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana Fuel, delay, other emissions (not CO 2 ), (2010) e reliability, VOC $4,599 $517 0.6% $7,137 $384 1.3% $11,986 $673 1.6% Beijing, inside ring road f Delay $4,718 $472 N/A Toronto g Fuel, delay, CO 2 $1,282 $233 0.5% 4
Congestion Charging The Issues How does congestion pricing work? What issues does it solve? How effective is congestion pricing in addressing congestion? Who will pay the congestion charge? Is congestion pricing fair? Will there be time-shifting to avoid the charge? What if drivers park outside the congestion charge zone to avoid the charge? 5
How Would Congestion Charging Work? Dynamic charge Cordon Pricing Corridor/Lane Pricing 6 Variable fee based on time and congestion Raises revenues Reduces congestion Fixed fee for driving in a given area Raises revenues Reduces congestion Fixed/dynamic fee for driving in a corridor/route Increases vehicle occupancy Reduces travel time on route Raises revenues
Dynamic, Distance Based, Kilometer Charge Distance based fees Incentives for clean technology 7 Raises revenue, reduces congestion, enhances environmental performance, reduces trips and km
General Principles to Consider in Implementing a Congestion Charge Acceptability Enforceability of the charging scheme Revenue neutrality and revenue use Objective(s) of the charging scheme (revenues, congestion, environment) Value pricing (slow versus fast lane) and area pricing (area entry) 8 Congestion charges have to be part of a broader plan and package to manage travel demand
Implementing a Congestion Charge Scale of the Charge Spot Facility Corridor Cordon City Toll road/lane X X X Congestion charge Cordon X X X X X KM Charge X Fee Collection Options 9 Pass Purchase pass to enter zone Equipment cost Operating Costs Inconvenience Price Adjustability Low Low Medium Poor Toll Booth Stop and pay High High High Medium Electronic Optical vehicle recognition Electronic point recognition High Medium Low High Point recognition High Medium Low High GPS Vehicle tracking High Medium Low High Source: VTPI
10 International Experience with Congestion Charging
Congestion Charging in the US 41 pricing projects on highways, bridges, and tunnels. Projects operate in Georgia, Utah, Colorado, Maryland, and New Jersey with multiple projects in California, Florida, New York, Texas, Virginia, Minnesota, and Washington State 11 Source: GAO, January 2012 Traffic Congestion
The US Experience Mixed Results HOT lanes reduced travel times and increased speeds» Peak period travel speeds on SR 167 in Seattle, increased as much as 19 percent compared with travel speeds in 2007 while speeds on the HOT lanes remained about the same» HOT lane users on I-15 in San Diego, saved up to 20 minutes more than drivers in the adjacent un-priced lanes during the most congested times» Users of HOT lanes on I-95 in Florida saved 14 minutes, while those of adjacent lanes saved 11 minutes Throughput increased by 9 14% Few drivers reported change in travel times Effects on transit ridership were mixed 12
The Singapore Experience Early Years Introduction of Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) in 1975: In the 1970s, CBD of Singapore was at a standstill, charge of about US$1.30s for vehicles.» Vehicles entering the Restricted Zone (RZ) declined from 74,000 to 41,200 (44% reduction),» Number of cars declined by 73% (from 42,800 to 11,400).» Shift to High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) 4+ and bus, %. HOV 4+ share went up from 8 to 19% and bus share increased from 33 to 46%.» Among vehicle owning households with RZ employment, non-single Occupancy Vehicle share of trips declined from 48 to 27» Shift in trip departure times and some route shifting. Initial surge in vehicles entering just after the charge period ended at 9:30 AM. The shift to earlier departure times also reduced auto traffic by a further 5 percent during the charging period.» Overall traffic rose 13% in period before 7:30 AM, but did not cause noticeable traffic delays. Through traffic using the RZ in the AM charging period declined by 25 percent.» Congestion inside the RZ was virtually eliminated.» Speeds inside the RZ in the AM peak increased by 20 percent or more (including for buses).» On most congested streets, the speeds went up from 15-18 KPH to 30 KPH.» Additionally, there was a 10% increase in speeds on inbound radials leading to the RZ.» However, along with these improvements, the speeds on the bypass route dropped by 20 percent. 13
The Singapore Experience Longer Term Effects Longer Term Impacts Through 1988» HOV 4+ as a percentage of car traffic entering the RZ in AM peak increased from 41% in 1976 to 54% by early 1980s.» From 1975 to 1988, the number of cars in Singapore increased 72%, but the volume of traffic entering the RZ in AM peak only rose 24%.» The mode share of car for commuters to the RZ had declined from 56% in 1975 to 23% in 1983, this despite the large increase in car ownership, and a 34% increase in employment within the RZ.» From 1976 to 1983, the share of public transportation in the AM peak period trips to the RZ increased from 33% to 69%. Post-1988 - ALS pricing was extended to the PM peak period and the HOV 4+ exemption was eliminated.» During PM peak, vehicles entering the RZ declined by 54% and in the AM peak vehicles entering the RZ declined by 14 percent. Post-1998 Electronic Road Pricing (ERP)» Weekday traffic entering the RZ has decline 24%, from 271,000 vehicles to 206,000 vehicles per day.» Average speeds within the RZ have increased from 30-35 KPH to 40-45 KPH. 14
The London Cordon Pricing Scheme 2001 2011 Change Charge 5 9.50 Vehicle km Central London 100 79.9-21.10% Vehicle km outer London 100 91.6-8.40% Population 100 113 13% Car driver trips 100 87-13% Car trips 100 103 3% Bus trips 100 154 54% Bicycle trips 100 166 66% Mode Share Car 46% 38% -17% Mode share Bus 29% 36% 24% Operating costs/revenues 40% Speeds in Central London have remained roughly the same Source: Transport for London 15
Stockholm Congestion Charge 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Traffic reductions compared to 2005-21% -18.7% 18.1% -18.2% -18.7% -20.1% Reduction of non-exempt traffic adjusted for external factors -29.7% -27.5% -28.1% -30.7% -29.8% -29.8% Decline in journey times 2005-2008 16 Source: Centre for Transportation Studies (2012) The Stockholm Congestion Charges Five Years on. Effects, Acceptability and Lessons Learned
Lessons for Indian Cities 1. Political and public acceptability are important, but once implemented if a charge works as advertised, it gets accepted 2. Careful analysis and planning are vital for designing and successfully implementing a congestion charge 3. Planning has to be done at the network level 4. Alternative to the car are necessary 5. For congestion charging to alleviate congestion, it MUST be considered as part of a broader set of travel demand management measures 17
CONGESTION CHARGING, PROPERLY IMPLEMENTED, IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER DEMAND MANAGEMENT MEASURES, CAN BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING CONGESTION 18
19 IS CONGESTION CHARGING THE SOLUTION FOR CONGESTION IN INDIAN CITIES?
Answering That Question Requires some Groundwork Develop Objectives What type of congestion is problematic? Which type of congestion to address? For whom? Which aspects of congestion to address? SMART objectives Define Network for CMP Geographic and physical boundaries, transport modes covered Define Measures of Congestion Regional, network, local link level indicators describing density, extent, duration and variability of congestion Collect Data & Monitor Performance Data collection plan, Usual survey, loop, sensor, ITS data, transactional data from operators Analyse Congestion Problems & Needs Causes of congestion, location of trip generators, seasonal, time of day variation, commute patterns, road user behavior, infrastructure design Identify & Assess Strategies Implement Strategies Alternatives to the car, traffic operations, increasing capacity, public transport Models, sketch planning, simulation, Institutions, funding, technology, congestions management as part of transportation planning Evaluate Effectiveness System level effectiveness, effectiveness of specific actions and initiatives Source: US DOT (2011) Congestion Management Process: A Guidebook 20
Defining the Network 21
Speed Analysis for Major Routes 22
Assessment of Causes of Congestion Average Accidents 0.2 Daily Security Checks 4.5 Frequency Vehicle Breakdowns 7.4 Qualitative Random Microbus Stops High observation Random Pedestrian Crossings Medium 23
Current levels of Congestion 24
Future Levels of Congestion 25
Evaluation of Policy Options 26
Summary of Results In this case congestion charging is an attractive option, but will do little to relieve system wide congestion Central Area Pricing Traveler Information Systems New Project TDM Reduce Fuel Subsidies Cost Effectiveness Ratio 27 Metro Expansion System Buildout Metro Expansion Circle Line Access Management Transit Operations/ BRT Advanced Corridor Management New Highway Highway Widening Metro Expansion New Radial Line Nile River Ferry Implementation Feasibility Worksite TDM Non-Motorized Transport Small Impact Large Impact Near Mid - Long
TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN EACH CITY ARE UNIQUE EACH CITY SHOULD DESIGN AND INITIATE AN ANALYSIS BASED PLANNING PROCESS FOR MANAGING CONGESTION 28
Congestion Charging in India Access control essential determinant of success Charge collection and enforcement minimise human intervention to minimize inconvenience and delays Alternatives to car trips public transport Equity who will be exempted, who will pay System and operating costs - Must be part of a broader policy package parking charges, park and ride, public transport, etc., 29 Use of revenues collected from charge ring fenced and invested back in improving transport in city
THANK YOU arahman@camsys.com http://www.camsys.com 30