| Issue 311 | April 2, 2001 |
The
advent of time-sensitive tolls on the PA's Hudson River crossings could
be seen as a first step towards a variable cordon pricing program
for Manhattan. Since 1998, Singapore has operated an extensive electronic
cordon pricing system that has been effective in substantially reducing
auto travel into its dense center city.
Tolls
ranging throughout the day from roughly 25¢ to $1.50 (US) are collected
via non-stop overhead gantries at thirty-four points of access to a roughly
3 square mile central "restricted zone," as well as various other points
along four expressways into the city. According to The Straits Times,
two months after the toll cordon began traffic into the restricted zone
dropped by 20-24% during the weekday from an average of 271,000 vehicles
per day to a low of 206,000.
There are obvious barriers to applying the model to Manhattan. Besides the MTA's reluctance to bring variable pricing to their bridges and tunnels, the City's East River and Harlem River Bridges remain untolled. Also, pricing either set of bridges is unthinkable without installing non-stop toll technology, still absent from all NYC toll facilities.
      |