Though some my argue over the specifics of a plan, both congestion charging and carbon taxes -- which compel people to make needed choices -- are long overdue.
"Although it has mostly gone unstated, the congestion charge rests on ironclad economic logic: street space, being both coveted and finite, has a value; hence, our failure to charge a price for its use in effect substitutes rationing by waiting, for rationing by pricing -- which is why New York, Los Angeles, and every city in between have traffic jams.
Accordingly, a congestion charge that confronts those of us who would drive with the cost of traffic delays we impose on each other isn't just one means of reducing congestion -- it's the only way to do so.
Mayor Bloomberg could place traffic cops at every intersection, airlift every double-parked car and truck, and make the subways free -- and gridlock would reappear within a week, as the improvement in traffic flow attracted drivers now deterred by the too-crowded roads.
The only way to permanently open up road space is to impose some form of road valuation, and Mayor Bloomberg's pricing plan, while blunt and imperfect, is a very good start. Most important of all, though, it establishes the principle."
FULL STORY: Valuing the commons: Congestion pricing's hidden payoff

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

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Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
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MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
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Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
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