Congestion pricing in New York City should be easy; there are only bridges and tunnels to get into the most congested areas of the city, and many already have tolls. Access is limited, and transit is plentiful once commuters arrive in congested Manhattan. But political pressures from the outer boroughs and anti-tax sentiments defeated efforts to implement congestion pricing in 2008. Now a veteran transportation engineer has offered a new plan that could be more popular in the suburbs and still provide incentives to find alternatives to driving into the central business district.
congestion management
Smart Congestion Relief Comprehensive Analysis Of Traffic Congestion Costs and Congestion Reduction Benefits (Victoria Transport Policy Institute, 2012)
This report critically evaluates the methods used to evaluate traffic congestion costs and the benefits of various congestion reduction strategies. Download the full report.
Rhode Island DOT uses ITS to make commuting easier for drivers
The Rhode Island DOT has begun using Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to make driving go more smoothly on major state-owned roads around Providence. Cameras on highways and digital signs allow both DOT officials and commuters to monitor traffic flow and plan their routes accordingly. According to Joseph Bucci, head of the Transportation Management Center, the state “can’t build [itself] out of congestion. We need to try to do things better to manage [congestion] using technology.”