Mint Quick Edit | Road pricing is an idea whose time has come
- New York City’s new congestion fee is a good idea. London has it too, though Singapore’s model is better. Indian cities should explore progressive road pricing as a device to ease and redirect traffic.
Authorities in New York City have green-signalled a $9 congestion fee on vehicles entering the busiest parts of Manhattan during peak hours. As many as 700,000 of them enter the central business district daily.
The levy, it is hoped, will nudge a shift to public transport. The $15 billion expected from it will be used to upgrade the city’s old and creaky mass transit system.
Also read: Tolls on Indian roads will take a greater toll
This first of its kind fee in the US had faced resistance, including legal challenges, with even President-elect Donald Trump having disapproved of it.
But with traffic so dense and its fumes a problem, New Yorkers should welcome the idea. Other cities are ahead.
Singapore uses road pricing as a device to keep traffic flowing, with charges varying on a dynamic basis to ease congestion by making alternative routes cheaper.
Also read: Road spending is on track, road building isn't
London too charges a road fee during high-traffic hours that gets higher as motorists go closer to its central zone. That roads should be free or require a toll only to cover construction costs is an old idea.
As Indian traffic worsens, its big cities must explore the idea of road pricing. The charges could vary by vehicle cost, along a steeply progressive scale, as well as by road-space demand and supply.
Also read: Cities have much to learn from Singapore and Copenhagen on climate adaptation
topics
