Finding Policies to Best Ease the 'Social Cost' of Driving
Finding Policies that Work Best to Ease the 'Social Cost' of Driving
| FOR RELEASE: January 8, 2008 CONTACT: RFF Office of Communications (202) 328-5006 WASHINGTON - Traffic congestion has consistently placed near the top of urban policymakers' agendas, and one policy intervention in particular- congestion pricing- is gaining broader acceptance in the United States and in other countries. But how do policies designed to address congestion alone fare, once the many other consequences associated with driving- traffic accidents, air pollution, oil dependency, urban sprawl, and noise, to name a few- are taken into account? | ||
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The authors find that targeting the fuller set of problems not only changes the appropriate level of fees charged to drivers, but it can also have major implications for the relative attractiveness of different policy alternatives. The key variable, they conclude, is the impact on daily vehicle miles traveled. "Using full social cost pricing in place of congestion pricing makes an important difference when the transportation policies substantially affect vehicle miles traveled," says Safirova. "For cordon tolls, for example, the transportation outcomes of congestion pricing and social costs pricing are very similar." |
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Any policy to allay the social costs of driving will be controversial, the authors note, because all involve some measure of high tolls. Moreover, the authors admit that predicting trends in the cost of traffic accidents is difficult because of factors such as the rising cost of health care and safer vehicle technology. Their paper will be presented in January 2008 at the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington. ###
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