ONE of the tools for improving urban mobility is congestion charging or congestion pricing. Congestion charging has been applied successfully in several major cities, notably London, Singapore, Milan and Stockholm; it is now being introduced in New York City. It is also being considered for Jakarta. The Management Association of the Philippines has called for its implementation on congested high-volume corridors. It is an idea whose time has come.
Congestion charging works much like a toll and can apply to a road, corridor, area or zone (usually in the city center) in order to discourage the use of private motor vehicles. Certain classes of vehicles can be exempt from the congestion charge, such as high-capacity public transport, school buses and shuttles, office shuttles, emergency vehicles, etc. Any private vehicle entering the congestion charging zone or corridor is charged a fee to enter. By reducing the demand for car travel in the most congested urban areas, congestion charging can deliver improvements in mobility even without costly investments in infrastructure.
The fee charged can also be "dynamic," meaning that it can be adjusted to the level of congestion at any time (the more vehicles within the corridor or zone, the higher the congestion charge). A dynamic charge can motivate car users to avoid peak hours and shift to a different time period or mode of travel.
Some may argue that congestion charging in Metro Manila would be premature as public transport options are still insufficient or unreliable. However, in situations where traffic congestion has severely diminished the utility of a major road and brought heat and pollution to harmful levels, congestion charging can deliver meaningful benefits for the majority. Moreover, earlier technical constraints to congestion charging have been largely resolved. Tollway operators are able to offer barrier- or gate-free systems for charging tolls, and an interoperable toll collection system is soon to be available. The same systems will be required to collect the congestion charge.
Apart from delivering benefits across a broad range of road users, congestion charging can offer a steady stream of revenue that can be used by national or local governments to sustain public transport operations, in case some form of continuing subsidy would be needed. We should begin implementing congestion charging and demonstrating its value — initially, on a pilot or limited scale with a view to expansion over the medium term.
A candidate corridor, in my view, is McKinley Road in Makati City. It is an important but heavily congested road connecting Bonifacio Global City (BGC) and the Makati Central Business District (CBD)/Ayala Avenue. During rush hour, McKinley can take 30 to 40 minutes to traverse. The severe road congestion affects the efficiency and reliability of the existing public transport on that corridor (BGC Bus) rendering such services inefficient and unattractive. Even school buses that use McKinley experience long and unpredictable journeys.
With the application of a congestion charge, the volume of private motor vehicles on McKinley Road could be significantly reduced, enabling much faster and more reliable travel for all vehicles. At the same time, all high-capacity public transportation, including school buses and school shuttles, could be exempt. To ensure community support, residents of Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village could be granted a limited exemption from the congestion charge (for example, two vehicles per household would be exempt).
The benefits for the neighboring communities and for the business districts in Makati and BGC will be considerable. The congestion on McKinley, including the associated heat and pollution, will be significantly reduced. Public transport will be able to operate with high reliability. A high-frequency, high-quality bus service between BGC and Makati CBD using Ayala Avenue and McKinley will be able to attract many more passengers. Students, whether in cars, school shuttles or buses, will be able to get home sooner. With reduced vehicle traffic, cyclists and pedestrians will have safer and more comfortable travel. Car owners, even those living in Dasmariñas and Forbes, will be encouraged to leave their cars at home. Emergency vehicles will benefit from having a main corridor free of traffic.
Congestion charging can be a big "win" for all road users. For those in cars, the reduction in overall vehicle volume means that roads will be less congested when you really need to use them. Public transport will flow faster and more predictably — each public transport vehicle can take more round trips and attract more passengers. With fewer private vehicles on a road, there is the potential to introduce more public transport vehicles and possibly even an exclusive public transport lane. Pedestrians and persons on bicycles will be safer, healthier and more comfortable, freed from the heat, pollution and noise of private cars stuck in traffic. It will also be easier for police, ambulances and fire trucks to respond to emergencies in the neighborhood.
In summary, there is no better time than now to implement congestion charging. For risk-averse decision-makers, why not try it out initially on a limited-scale? McKinley Road might just be the ideal pilot.
Robert Y. Siy is a development economist, city and regional planner, and public transport advocate. He is a co-convenor of the Move As One Coalition. He can be reached at mobilitymatters.ph@yahoo.com or followed on Twitter at @RobertRsiy.
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