Does any municipal/metro policy issue elicit more confusion and hopelessness for leadership, citizens, and workers than traffic and commuting? The Wall Street Journal (free link) has a really interesting piece on a traffic/smog control experiment in Stockholm that IBM implemented. Sounds as if it was pretty successful…
“From January through July, Stockholm tested one of the world’s most sophisticated traffic-management systems as part of a plan to reduce gridlock, lower smog levels and improve quality of life in the city. Unlike most other traffic-control plans in place in cities such as London and Rome, Stockholm used a dynamic-pricing system in which drivers were charged different amounts depending on the time of day. If Mr. Astrom, for example, left the city center at the busiest time of the afternoon rush, from 4 to 5:29, he would have paid the equivalent of $2.76. But by waiting until 6:30 p.m., he traveled toll-free. “People changed their habits,” he said.”
“…During the Stockholm trial, the city collected data on how the system affected air quality, parking and bus ridership. The results showed that traffic passing over the cordon decreased 22%, while traffic accidents involving injuries fell by 5% to 10%. Exhaust emissions, including carbon dioxide and particles, decreased by 14% in the inner city and by 2% to 3% in Stockholm County.”
(posted by David)
