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![]() SYMPOSIUM ON MARKET-BASED APPROACHES TO CONGESTION
CONTROL Market Approaches - Local Applications Peter Samuel has given you an excellent introduction to “Principles of Market-Based Approaches to Transportation 101" My intent is to follow up with a description of four proposed local applications of this principle. I stress the word “proposed” because market-based transportation solutions are still met with considerable skepticism and encounter political opposition in this region, as will become clear from my presentation. 1. The Intercounty Connector (ICC) Our Group felt that a variably priced ICC would be politically acceptable, provided travelers felt they received tangible value for their money- as they would - in the form of faster, more predictable travel. Shippers and deliverers of time-sensitive merchandise such as UPS and FedEx, also would receive added value in the form of faster and more reliable deliveries. And, of course, the ICC could serve as a transitway for Bus Rapid Transit service between the busy Rockville Pike/I-270 corridors and points east, including the BWI Airport. While some equity concerns were expressed, the Group found them to be unjustified. Surveys in California have shown that people of all income levels choose to use California’s HOT lanes when saving time is really important to them. And that includes a lot of ordinary people : workers whose job depends on always being on time, travelers anxious not to miss a flight, and businesses that depend on just-in-time deliveries. Indeed, a utility van and a delivery truck are a far more common sight on California’s HOT lanes than the proverbial Lexus. Despite these arguments, Governor Glendening, as you may recall, rejected our recommendations and chose not to proceed with construction of the ICC. I don’t think the Governor has had the last word, however. The ICC is still very much on the agenda, now that its opponents on the Montgomery Council have been soundly defeated and our County Executive and both candidates for the governorship have declared their support for the project. The ICC, I venture to predict, will eventually be built. Whether it will be built as a toll facility, remains to be seen. 2. Tolling the Wilson Bridge We pointed out that all comparable major new crossings elsewhere in the US are being financed with tolls, such as the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington state, the reconstruction of the Bay Bridge in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the planned new Tappan Zee Bridge in New York. More to the point, several crossings in the I-95 corridor to the north of the Wilson Bridge are toll facilities. They include the Fort McHenry tunnel in Baltimore, the Delaware River Bridge and the George Washington Bridge. We argued that tolls are the fairest way of funding the new bridge since they would place the fiscal burden on its users, rather than on taxpayers at large. But our proposal, need I say, went nowhere. 3. Maryland DOT Study of a HOT Lane Network In June 2001, Gov. Glendening suddenly pulled the rug out from under his own state transportation secretary and summarily cancelled the plan to introduce a HOT lane on the recently widened Route 50. He cast his objection as an equity issue, saying it would be unfair to allow affluent drivers to buy their way out of congestion. In an OpEd piece in USA Today, the Governor explained his position as follows (and I quote):
The Governor chose to ignore the fact that it isn’t just rich lobbyists who understand the value of time. As already mentioned, surveys in California show that people of all income levels elect to use the HOT lanes when they need to get somewhere faster. A parent racing to get to a daycare center before closing time, would be just as grateful to pay the toll and save himself/herself the late dollar-a-minute penalty as a lawyer racing to make a court appearance. Besides, if a HOT lane reduces congestion in the free lanes, wouldn't everybody be better off? 4. Fluor Daniel Proposal for HOT Lanes on the Beltway
*** So there, you have it. As I think my presentation made clear, there exist plenty of opportunities in our region to apply market-based approaches to congestion mitigation. The know-how and technology to implement these approaches exists. What’s lacking is the political will. I hope meetings like this, with local elected officials and candidates for office present in the audience, will help to change attitudes and galvanize the necessary political support to experiment with transportation pricing. � ![]() INNOVATION BRIEFS A publication of the Urban Mobility Corporation 10200 Riverwood Drive, Potomac, MD 20854-1536 tel: 301.299.1996; Fax: 301.299.4425; e-mail: [email protected] |