A New York Post editorial last weekend endorsed the pending MTA study of the effects of varying toll rates by time-of-day at its bridges and tunnels (see MTR #176). The piece noted that: "The late Nobel Prize winner William Vickrey pointed out that traffic jams are caused when drivers aren't charged the full costs they impose on others. His solution: Make 'em pay."

The Post said hiking tolls at rush hour promised the greatest congestion-relief impact.

The Post joins the NY Times, the Star Ledger and the Daily News in backing a look at incentive toll policy at the region's bridges and tunnels. In 1996, commenting on the successful introduction of EZ-Pass by the region's toll agencies, the Times wrote: "Bridge and tunnel officials need to exploit the new technology in creative ways. For years, drivers who bought tokens in advance received a discount. But the discount has never been used in a way that encourages more efficient traffic patterns...What is needed are intelligent pricing variations to encourage more usage at non-peak hours."

While the MTA's pricing study is just getting organized, the NY State Thruway Authority is likely to release results of its look at toll policy in the Tappan Zee Bridge corridor late this year.