Overview
This report examines the state of the practice and presents guidelines on the performance measurement and evaluation of congestion pricing projects. Congestion pricing projects include variably priced managed lanes (HOT or Express Toll Lanes), toll facilities with variable pricing, and cordon or area pricing.
The report is designed for practitioners involved in planning, design, and operation of congestion pricing projects or practitioners considering implementation of such projects. It helps practitioners understand how and when to put evaluation and performance measurement programs in place as well as how to identify and develop appropriate performance measures, collect necessary data, evaluate performance, and communicate results.
Using data gathered from all operating congestion pricing projects as of late 2010, the report presents a comprehensive list of potential performance measures organized into eight evaluation areas. For each of the three forms of congestion pricing, guidelines are offered on selecting the most relevant, cost-effective measures based on goals, identified constraints, and other factors. Also included are detailed information and recommendations for integrating performance evaluation and measurement and public outreach, including the advantages and disadvantages of doing so, and specific recommendations on market research techniques and constituency-building tactics.
Twelve project case studies included in an Appendix provide:
- An overview of the agency sponsoring the congestion pricing project
- A review of the agency’s congestion pricing program
- A discussion of the different measures used to monitor agency’s congestion pricing project performance
- Identification of other data collection efforts associated with the agency’s congestion pricing project’s implementation
A companion document to NCHRP Report 694 was published as NCHRP Web-Only Document 174: Performance Measurement and Evaluation of Tolling and Congestion Pricing Projects, which provides an overview of the purpose, scope, and methodology, and a complete compilation of the work products that were used to develop NCHRP Report 694.