A congestion pricing plan can refuel this city's future
BY PETER HENDY
Thursday, October 4th 2007

Be Our Guest: The commission created to decide whether congestion pricing will work in New York has finished its first meeting, and it must not ignore the success seen in London."

Be Our Guest
This week, Mayor Bloomberg checked out London's road-pricing plan. Back in New York, he must persuade the City Council and the state Legislature to support his plan, which calls for charging drivers to enter Manhattan south of 86th St. on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 6p.m. The commission created to decide whether congestion pricing will work in New York has finished its first meeting, and it must not ignore the success seen in London.

Four years into London's congestion pricing plan, officials are continuing to improve on the idea. In seeking to address climate-change concerns, London Mayor Ken Livingstone has asked Transport for London to go further in reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the congestion-pricing zone. Planners are currently consulting Londoners on the idea of introducing emissions-related charging to encourage those who continue to drive to use lower CO2-emitting vehicles. Those people with vehicles that produce the least CO2 would get a discount on the $16-a-day charge, while those people who drive so-called gas guzzlers would pay $50 a day. If introduced, this would encourage Londoners to really think about the car they drive and the impact it has on the environment.

It's an idea that may serve New York well, too.

In 2003, London introduced congestion pricing to the central, most clogged-up part of the city. London, like New York, was experiencing gridlock, which was damaging the economy and making London a less desirable place to live and work. So, something had to be done to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads. In a brave policy decision, Livingstone instructed the Transport for London to develop a congestion price for central London. Doubters said the public transportation system would not cope, the computer system could not support it, the economy would suffer and traffic would divert onto roads bordering the zone.

More than four years later, the critics have been proven wrong.

Traffic in the congestion-pricing zone has been reduced by more than 20% - resulting in more reliable and safer journeys for businesses, bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians. It also means, according to many businesses, a more pleasant working environment and benefits for employees using public transportation. The number of bicycle trips within the central zone has grown by 43% since February 2003. Carbon dioxide emissions in the zone have fallen by 16%. Road safety is improving, with 70 fewer serious personal injuries a year in the central zone. The $250 million raised annually through the Congestion Charge has been invested back into public transportation, walking and cycling to further improve traveling within London.

Despite opponents claiming the Congestion Charge would have a negative impact on retail business, last year central London outperformed the rest of the U.K. in retail sales. The number of bus passengers entering the zone rose by 38% between 2002 and 2003, bus reliability improved and customer satisfaction with buses is consistently high.

Despite this success, congestion problems remained, in particular in west London. This past February, Transport for London extended the congestion pricing zone to the west, a move that almost doubled the size of the zone. Again, the naysayers said the expansion plan would be a failure. Again they were wrong.

Over the first three months of the operation, traffic in the extended zone was typically down by about 15% compared with the same period in 2006. The first comprehensive survey of congestion in the extension area shows that gridlock has been reduced by some 20% against the same time frame in 2005 and 2006.

Most of those who doubted the charge in London now support it - not surprising given its huge success. As we've seen in London, introducing congestion pricing is a bold and difficult decision. There may be doubters, and there will be criticism. But it can be done. And it can work.

Hendy is London's transportation commissioner.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/10/04/2007-10-04_a_congestion_pricing_plan_can_refuel_thi-2.html