Effective Approaches for Advancing Congestion Pricing in a Metropolitan Region

Overview

This primer is intended to raise awareness among staff at MPOs and their partner agencies about the potential role of congestion pricing in supporting regional goals as well as the most effective approaches for advancing congestion pricing strategies in a region. It draws upon lessons learned from pilot and ongoing programs implemented around the United States as well as efforts to integrate congestion pricing into regional transportation plans. The content of the primer is based on discussions that took place at four peer to peer-to- peer practitioner workshops organized by FHWA in September 2011. Using illustrative case studies, this primer provides information on effective approaches for addressing the challenges of advancing congestion pricing in a regional context, including: (i) building public and decisionmaker acceptability; (ii) linking congestion pricing to regional goals and objectives; (iii) achieving interagency collaboration; (iv) analyzing congestion pricing impacts as part of the planning process; and (v) addressing implementation challenges and sustaining user support. The primer ends with recommendations of initial steps that planners, policymakers, and others can take in developing comprehensive regional congestion pricing plans, while maximizing the chances of acceptance from the public and decisionmakers.