Nearly nine months ago, the City of London, England, embarked on an ambitious
experiment, to reduce traffic congestion in the central city, and to generate
revenue for investment in public transit at the same time. It was the brainchild
of Mayor Ken Livingstone. CUTA heard a bit about the plans two years earlier at
a special session during the 2001 version of this conference, in Mississauga.
Much has changed in those two years. Here, our Federal Minister of Transport has
mused publicly about such concepts, the question of road tolls has been raised
in the Toronto mayoral campaign, and London has attracted attention from around
the world.
This session presented a unique opportunity to hear first hand from the man who designed and implemented the initiative, and to ask questions and debate the merits and potential for applying similar concepts here in Canada. Until July of this year, Derek Turner was Managing Director of Transport for London, a post to which he was appointed in May 2000. In that position, he was responsible for 550 km of London’s key roads – the Transport for London Road Network. Part of his responsibility was to introduce measures, which would improve streets for all road users, particularly pedestrians, cyclists, bus passengers and people with disabilities. This included creating the London Traffic Control Centre and the major redesign and pedestrianisation of Trafalgar Square. He was responsible for the design, introduction and operation of Central London’s unique congestion charging scheme.
During the first half of the session, Mr. Turner charted the history of the London initiatives and its objectives, which were to reduce inner London traffic levels by 10-15%, cut road transport delays by 15-25%, increase speeds by 10-15% inside the zone, improve conditions outside zone, improve bus operations, produce net revenue of £130m per annum and achieve a modal shift. He outlined the background including the political and delivery issues surrounding the challenge of the Mayor’s commitment.
Details around the implementation, functioning and enforcement of the system as it was introduced in February 2003 were explained. Results to date suggest that congestion has decreased by 40%, public transport is coping well, buses are benefiting from reduced congestion, payment systems working satisfactorily, and the public remains supportive of scheme. These benefits have been sustained throughout the nine-month experience.
Lessons from this experience suggest that key components of a successful congestion charging system include political commitment, strong project management, an integrated team and partnership, a clear procurement strategy, presenting congestion charging as part of an overall transport strategy and an effective public information campaign. London’s experience with congestion charging suggests that one simple measure can have a threefold effect on the quality of life in an inner city: (a) it can dramatically reduce traffic congestion; (b) it can generate revenue for re-investment in more sustainable transport modes; and (c) it can improve the operating speeds and thereby increase the efficiency and reduce the operating costs of buses operating in the affected area.
Mr. Turner’s presentation was followed by a series of short presentations from representatives of Canada’s three largest cities, followed by a discussion period moderated by CUTA President & CEO, Michael
Roschlau. The panel consisted of the following discussants:
- Richard Ducharme, Toronto Transit Commission
- Robert Olivier, Société de transport de Montréal
- Glen Leicester, Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority
Each of the discussants presented a brief overview of the state of the debate on road pricing and tolls in their area, with an audience questions period at the end. A sample of some of the issues raised:
- Potential loss of business to merchants in the affected area
- Public acceptance
- Revenue generation for re-investment in transit and other sustainable modes
- Application to bridges, access points and roadway segments as opposed to a defined area
- Political barriers in the Canadian context
The general conclusion was that some form of road pricing is an important tool in providing the public with a more visible sense of the cost of their travel decisions, and internalizing the cost of the use of public road space that is currently perceived as having little or no marginal cost. While there are many potential applications, it was felt that a basket of measures, including road pricing, fuel tax dedication and a variety of tax and fiscal incentives to encourage public transport use, serves as a more optimal approach than relying on a single measure in isolation.
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