Wednesday, April 18, 2007
HOT Lanes
Economics and Traffic
Back in graduate school* I wrote a rather lengthy treatise on using congestion pricing and other economic tools as a traffic management scheme. My paper focused on several theoretical studies done at the time and a pilot program then in effect in Singapore. This was back in 1993 or so.
Today we see these schemes popping up all over. Now Virginia is looking at such toll lanes. I think it is a great idea and one that could also help curb C02 emissions by capturing the external costs of rush hour traffic. You want to fly down I-395 during the morning rush hour? Be prepared to pay for it.
Oh, my professor gave me a C on the paper, her main beef was that such systems would never work and would never be implemented.
*One would think that after attending some graduate school and law school I'd be a better writer and proofer. But this a blog so I'll just call it poetic license.
Back in graduate school* I wrote a rather lengthy treatise on using congestion pricing and other economic tools as a traffic management scheme. My paper focused on several theoretical studies done at the time and a pilot program then in effect in Singapore. This was back in 1993 or so.
Today we see these schemes popping up all over. Now Virginia is looking at such toll lanes. I think it is a great idea and one that could also help curb C02 emissions by capturing the external costs of rush hour traffic. You want to fly down I-395 during the morning rush hour? Be prepared to pay for it.
Oh, my professor gave me a C on the paper, her main beef was that such systems would never work and would never be implemented.
*One would think that after attending some graduate school and law school I'd be a better writer and proofer. But this a blog so I'll just call it poetic license.
Labels: Economics, Traffic, Travel
