Q. Could congestion pricing be used in Ann Arbor to reduce traffic congestion?
A. New York City began congestion pricing this January, following the lead of London, Milan, and other cities (Singapore was the first to do so, in 1975). E-ZPass-equipped vehicles now pay $9 to enter lower Manhattan during the day and $2.25 overnight. License-plate readers bill those without transponders at higher rates. In the jargon of economists, congestion pricing compensates for the “negative externalities,” like gridlock, that drivers create but do not pay for.
Ann Arbor’s 2021 Comprehensive Transportation Plan considers congestion pricing. It notes that “the supply of road space in Ann Arbor is effectively fixed,” and “charging users to drive on busy roads or pay more to park when demand is high could motivate enough people to shift vehicle trips to less busy times of day or choose a different mode of transportation to significantly reduce congestion and emissions.” Congestion pricing would also have the benefit of raising revenue for the city. (In New York, most of the money will subsidize mass transit.)
Related: Stuck in Traffic
Ann Arbor’s 2021 plan laid out a timeline for evaluating congestion pricing:
- Demand-based parking rates pilot in key areas by 2022
- Demand-based parking rates expanded by 2023
- Complete a road-use pricing study by 2024
None of these milestones were met. As former city council member Kirk Westphal wrote in a 2023 Damn Arbor blog post: “There already are hundreds of goals contained in the City’s various plans and resolutions.” He added that there is no process to prioritize and monitor these goals, despite the 2023 council’s passing of the “Resolution to Improve Data Transparency and Performance Management.”
Robert Kellar, public works communication specialist, observes that “any effort like this, which the City of New York took four years considering, would require extensive evaluation of impacts and public engagement.”
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