5 Cities Where Congestion Pricing is Working

In the wake of New York City’s long-awaited adoption of its congestion pricing program, Dan Zukowski highlights four other global cities that have implemented road pricing. 

The first city to establish a congestion pricing scheme was Singapore back in 1975, when a tax for entering the city led to a 20 percent drop in traffic in months. The city later upgraded to an automated system that dynamically adjusts tolls based on location, time of day, vehicle type, and travel speed. 

London launched its congestion pricing scheme in 2003, and quickly saw opposition drop as Londoners experienced the benefits of reduced traffic and faster buses. Three years later, Stockholm launched its own program, using the revenue to expand its transit system. And “Milan started charging vehicles based on their emissions in 2008, then replaced that program in 2012 with a congestion charge on weekdays at certain hours. Within two years, traffic in the zone known as Area C decreased by 28%. Traffic collisions involving injuries declined over 26%, and CO2 emissions were down 35%.” 

The success of New York City’s program, which led to significant reductions in traffic and improved bus travel times, could encourage more U.S. cities to try it.