Congestion charging: An option to reduce traffic jam
Monday, 11 April 2011
Shafiqul Alam
People are getting richer and subsequently the urban lifestyle is also changing. Residents in Dhaka city are stamping their feet in frustration as there seems to be no relief in the offing from the horrendous traffic gridlocks that are paralysing people's movement from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm. There are many families living in the city who maintain three or four cars: one for office work, the second one for spouse, the third one for children, and the fourth one for some other purpose. After all, cars running on CNG fuel are cheaper than rickshaws that are charging nowadays exorbitant fares to compensate their losses due to traffic congestions. The problem of traffic congestion exists almost in all countries of the world. In many countries, the problem has been addressed mainly in two different ways: by creating more space and infrastructure for vehicular traffic, and by reducing the space and infrastructure for cars while improving public transit. The first approach involves great expense and increased congestion, while the latter approach has succeeded in resolving problems wherever it has been implemented. With the unplanned migration and the continuous increase of single occupancy vehicles, Dhaka city can expect the number of automobiles to increase significantly in the coming days. According to some ballpark figure, everyday about 50 new cars are hitting the city roads in Bangladesh; but many times more than that figure are hitting streets to choke up the already congested roads. Some believe not less than 500 families are relocating from rural areas and district towns to Dhaka city everyday to settle permanently. Unparalleled economic growth transformed China from a nation of bicycle-users into the world's largest car users. Commuters in Beijing are dependent on nine subway lines and hundreds of bus-only lanes, but increasing number of the city's 17 million population are using cars. Traffic snarls in Beijing nowadays last as long as five hours on an average. There is little chance of an immediate relief from traffic annoyance with the continuous rise in car-ownership of people enjoying hefty rises in their earnings that are being spurred by China's 10 per cent plus annual economic growth. Efforts to reduce congestion through road building frequently fail to keep pace with transportation demand and are likely to generate additional vehicle traffic, which can ultimately create further demand for road building. Thus, the sharp upward trend of private automobile use, the twin challenges of surface congestion and air pollution will remain persistent. As passenger vehicle population and usage grow, the innovative solution such as congestion charging can be applied to maintain the flow of traffic and reduce transport emissions. Congestion charging has significant benefits but noteworthy challenges; such as, charging method, charging rate, charging period, charging zone, and exemption from charging. Congestion charging addresses these issues by charging drivers for operating vehicles at highly congested times and locations, and thus reduce travel times and improve air quality. Singapore implemented a paper system of daily licenses for vehicles entering central zone during peak hours. Traffic entering the zone was dropped by 44 per cent after implementation of this system, while travel speeds were increased to more than 33 kilometres per hour from 17 kilometres. The system was overhauled with the introduction of electronic road pricing (ERP). The transaction occurs onboard as a debit on the smart card rather than through a central processing system. The London congestion charging system, in a highly congested area was implemented in 2003. The London programme has cut congestion from the original cordon by 20 to 30 per cent and by 14 per cent in the western extension. Introducing a pricing scheme is costly mainly due to the operational and maintenance costs of the whole system. These costs range from service provision and infrastructure expenses. Service provisions include provision of transport alternatives to cars, staff training, and customer services and database management etc., while infrastructure expenses include camera, payment and enforcement system etc. Of course, such costs need to be balanced with the revenues collected and the costs related to congestion. Congestion charging may involve continuous monitoring of vehicles in order to calculate distance traveled or even more complex indicators of external costs imposed. The technology introduced needs to take into consideration the situation about all users including occasional users for whom special technology systems might be required. Electronic pricing schemes using technologies such as GPS monitoring and smartcard tags enable a wider range of differentiation among the users. Last year, Finance Minister AMA Muhith emphasised the need for restricting cars, carrying two or three passengers, with a view to improving traffic movement. Though private cars occupy 30-40 per cent road space, they cater to the needs of only 2.0-3.0 per cent of the commuters. Some restrictions or congestion charging, which might look absurd, would eventually reduce the number of cars plying on road and provide better mobility as well as put less pressure on gas which is our main source of energy until today. But the necessity of mass transport should not be ignored. The writer can be reached at E-mail : shafiqul0032@yahoo.com
People are getting richer and subsequently the urban lifestyle is also changing. Residents in Dhaka city are stamping their feet in frustration as there seems to be no relief in the offing from the horrendous traffic gridlocks that are paralysing people's movement from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm. There are many families living in the city who maintain three or four cars: one for office work, the second one for spouse, the third one for children, and the fourth one for some other purpose. After all, cars running on CNG fuel are cheaper than rickshaws that are charging nowadays exorbitant fares to compensate their losses due to traffic congestions. The problem of traffic congestion exists almost in all countries of the world. In many countries, the problem has been addressed mainly in two different ways: by creating more space and infrastructure for vehicular traffic, and by reducing the space and infrastructure for cars while improving public transit. The first approach involves great expense and increased congestion, while the latter approach has succeeded in resolving problems wherever it has been implemented. With the unplanned migration and the continuous increase of single occupancy vehicles, Dhaka city can expect the number of automobiles to increase significantly in the coming days. According to some ballpark figure, everyday about 50 new cars are hitting the city roads in Bangladesh; but many times more than that figure are hitting streets to choke up the already congested roads. Some believe not less than 500 families are relocating from rural areas and district towns to Dhaka city everyday to settle permanently. Unparalleled economic growth transformed China from a nation of bicycle-users into the world's largest car users. Commuters in Beijing are dependent on nine subway lines and hundreds of bus-only lanes, but increasing number of the city's 17 million population are using cars. Traffic snarls in Beijing nowadays last as long as five hours on an average. There is little chance of an immediate relief from traffic annoyance with the continuous rise in car-ownership of people enjoying hefty rises in their earnings that are being spurred by China's 10 per cent plus annual economic growth. Efforts to reduce congestion through road building frequently fail to keep pace with transportation demand and are likely to generate additional vehicle traffic, which can ultimately create further demand for road building. Thus, the sharp upward trend of private automobile use, the twin challenges of surface congestion and air pollution will remain persistent. As passenger vehicle population and usage grow, the innovative solution such as congestion charging can be applied to maintain the flow of traffic and reduce transport emissions. Congestion charging has significant benefits but noteworthy challenges; such as, charging method, charging rate, charging period, charging zone, and exemption from charging. Congestion charging addresses these issues by charging drivers for operating vehicles at highly congested times and locations, and thus reduce travel times and improve air quality. Singapore implemented a paper system of daily licenses for vehicles entering central zone during peak hours. Traffic entering the zone was dropped by 44 per cent after implementation of this system, while travel speeds were increased to more than 33 kilometres per hour from 17 kilometres. The system was overhauled with the introduction of electronic road pricing (ERP). The transaction occurs onboard as a debit on the smart card rather than through a central processing system. The London congestion charging system, in a highly congested area was implemented in 2003. The London programme has cut congestion from the original cordon by 20 to 30 per cent and by 14 per cent in the western extension. Introducing a pricing scheme is costly mainly due to the operational and maintenance costs of the whole system. These costs range from service provision and infrastructure expenses. Service provisions include provision of transport alternatives to cars, staff training, and customer services and database management etc., while infrastructure expenses include camera, payment and enforcement system etc. Of course, such costs need to be balanced with the revenues collected and the costs related to congestion. Congestion charging may involve continuous monitoring of vehicles in order to calculate distance traveled or even more complex indicators of external costs imposed. The technology introduced needs to take into consideration the situation about all users including occasional users for whom special technology systems might be required. Electronic pricing schemes using technologies such as GPS monitoring and smartcard tags enable a wider range of differentiation among the users. Last year, Finance Minister AMA Muhith emphasised the need for restricting cars, carrying two or three passengers, with a view to improving traffic movement. Though private cars occupy 30-40 per cent road space, they cater to the needs of only 2.0-3.0 per cent of the commuters. Some restrictions or congestion charging, which might look absurd, would eventually reduce the number of cars plying on road and provide better mobility as well as put less pressure on gas which is our main source of energy until today. But the necessity of mass transport should not be ignored. The writer can be reached at E-mail : shafiqul0032@yahoo.com