Solving Congestion through pricing policies: London's redoubled efforts

Congestion sign, London
Originally uploaded by rllayman.

Brown-Bag Seminar
March 19, 2007
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM

World Resources Institute

Transport demand management, including congestion charging, is not a novel concept, and should be part of an integrated strategy for sustainable transport development. Congestion charging serves as a demand management strategy and could encourage the development of efficient transport systems and achieve cost recovery for urban transport and infrastructure use. Congestion charging schemes are intended to reduce traffic congestion by encouraging travelers to shift to alternative travel time, route and mode, and was first implemented in 1975 in Singapore.

It took 28 years before London became the second city to adopt a similar system in 2003, when traffic congestion was one of the most serious problems in London. The congestion charging zone has since been expanded to cover the west of the city, which went into effect with few hitches last month. Vehicles are now charged £8 (US$15) per day when entering the congestion charging zone. Stockholm has also recently tested a pilot congestion charging scheme that has achieved positive outcomes, including decreasing traffic volume by 25% during peak hours.

Mr. Malcolm Murray-Clark, Congestion Charging Director of Transport for London (TfL), will present London's success in reducing congestion through its congestion charging scheme. Transport for London (TfL) was created in 2000 as the integrated body responsible for the Capital's transport system. The primary role of TfL, which is a functional body of the Greater London Authority, is to implement the Mayor of London's Transport Strategy and manage transport services across the Capital.

Dr. Lee Schipper, EMBARQ Director of Research and Ms. Wei-Shiuen Ng, EMBARQ Associate, will briefly introduce Stockholm's experience, as well as present the city's transport trends and the traffic congestion conditions before and after the implementation of congestion charging. The experience of Singapore will also be summarized.

Please RSVP to Ethan Arpi at earpi@wri.org by Friday March 16, 2007.