Stockholm Votes In Congestion Pricing -- And Its Opponents

On Sunday, residents of Stockholm, Sweden, voted by a narrow margin to continue their city's seven-month long experiment with congestion pricing. The referendum represented a definitive success for a system that reduced traffic congestion by as much as 50 percent and decreased noxious air pollution by 14 percent. Yet, even after the 53 percent of Stockholm residents voted in favor of congestion charging, the city is still stuck in political gridlock over its gridlock. That's because the very same voters who approved the congestion charge also catapulted into power the center-right political parties who are most opposed to it. Streetsblog spoke with James Savage, the editor-in-chief of The Local, an English-language, Internet-based, Swedish newspaper in an effort to sort it out and see if he has any advice for New York City's congestion charging advocates.

Thanks to Aaron Naparstek