What’s fair and what’s not?
The benefits of congestion charging are not always distributed equally. People on high incomes are more likely to pay the charge and benefit from a faster trip; while people on lower incomes living in areas underserved by alternative transport options may be forced into spending a higher percentage of their salary just to get to work.
Discussions around equity usually revolve around ideas of adjustable charging, mobility credits or free passage. In London, for example, disabled Blue Badge permit holders can register for a 100% discount. In some circumstances, NHS patients and staff, care home workers, charity employees and volunteers are eligible for a congestion charge reimbursement.
Implementing these kinds of measures can be technically complex, undermine the intent of the scheme and may not even be possible in some jurisdictions, so some places may look at adjusting other taxes instead – meaning lower income people still pay a congestion charge but benefit from a discount elsewhere.
Regardless of pricing and exemptions, successful schemes don’t happen in isolation. In almost all cases, they’re implemented alongside improvements in public transport. Making sure that more vulnerable car-dependent people are well-connected to mass transit alternatives has been shown internationally to be a major success factor for equity and one that we would like to see explored in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Designing a scheme within a flexible legislative framework is equally as important. This will help give transport planners the freedom to design a system that can allow for equitable outcomes. By not dictating how pricing should work, cities can design schemes that work for their population and in their own unique local context.
Community involvement
Paying new or additional charges to drive into key parts of a city is a new, unfamiliar and perhaps alarming concept for most living in Aotearoa. We know from congestion charging experiences in the US and Scandinavia that there's usually strong initial opposition.
But by involving the community in genuine discussions, transport planners can educate those who will be most impacted about the social, environmental and health benefits of congestion charging - while also hearing early on about potential issues that may derail a successful rollout.
WSP experts in the Northern Hemisphere report that engaging with communities early (and often) softens negative perceptions and strengthens public support. And because congestion charging schemes deliver immediate benefits, people quickly get over their status quo bias, their overestimation of cost and underestimation of benefits.
Revenues
In planning a successful congestion charging scheme, it will be important for our transport authorities to deliver on the reality of the vision in a transparent way. That includes being open about where congestion charging revenues will be spent.
Research from Aotearoa and the UK shows that there are strong levels of support for road pricing – but only so long as revenues are used to improve public transport . That’s exactly what’s been legislated for in London, Stockholm and Gothenburg – where the money is put towards bus network improvements, metro line extensions, rail tunnels, and other sustainable transport initiatives.
Add it all up and the international evidence from the Northern Hemisphere is clear. Congestion charging reduces traffic volumes, reduces journey times, helps tackle air pollution and can boost people's use of public transport. But that can only happen if schemes are designed right.
The difference between congestion charging success and failure can be razor thin. But by being sensitive to issues of equity, engagement and openness from the outset, we’re confident that Aotearoa will come up with its own winning formula.
