Congestion fee can alleviate traffic jams
Apr 20, 2009
THE recent emergence of traffic jam as a key challenge in Kampala has heightened the need for a coherent urban transport policy. With rapid urbanisation and increased use of private motor vehicles, the management and control of road traffic have almost be
By Dr. Amin Kiggundu
THE recent emergence of traffic jam as a key challenge in Kampala has heightened the need for a coherent urban transport policy.
With rapid urbanisation and increased use of private motor vehicles, the management and control of road traffic have almost become impossible. The emerging view, however, is that the best way to improve traffic flow in Kampala is by imposing a congestion fee on all motorists driving in the central business district.
In the field of transport planning, congestion pricing is categorised as one of the Transport Demand Management (TDM) strategies. The primary aim of TDM strategies is to influence traveller behaviour for the purpose of reducing travel demand or redistributing travel demand in space and time. TDM also aims to discourage the use of private transport especially the single occupancy vehicles and promote mass transport.
Under transport management, the road space is often treated as a scarce resource that has to be used efficiently and optimally. In the heavily congested cities, motorists stuck in traffic jam usually impose costs on other road users. These costs are collectively called externalities. Externalities are manifested in the form of air pollution and time delay by motorists.
In a bid to alleviate the negative externalities caused by the increased use of private vehicles, many large cities across the globe have deliberately adopted a congestion pricing policy.
In Singapore, for example, congestion charges were first introduced in 1975. These were in the form of an area licensing scheme, which targeted motorists driving in the Central Business District area.
In 1998, Singapore upgraded its congestion pricing system from a manual-based system to an electronic-based one. Under electronic congestion pricing, congestion fees are often prepaid, allowing motorists to drive in the congestion charge zone without stopping.
Due to its coherent congestion pricing policy, Singapore has been able to establish an efficient and relatively congestion-free road transport system.
Currently, the average traffic speeds in Singapore are 33 kilometres per hour compared to 26 kilometres per hour in Hong Kong and 20 kilometres per hour in Tokyo (Japan). Besides, about 72% of the commuters in Singapore use public transport compared to 31% in Malaysia.
Similarly, in London, a congestion charge zone was established in 2003 as part of a wider strategy to improve the flow of road traffic. Under the same policy, all motorists driving in the central business district are required to pay eight Pounds.
The money collected is used to fund mass transport, including transit-related infrastructure. It should be noted, however, that congestion pricing alone is not enough to alleviate traffic jam in a large and poorly planned city like Kampala. There are other factors such as changing the way the city road spaces are used in the city.
For example many road sections such as the Kalerwe market road section are used as places for selling goods by the low income city residents. Evicting these traders from the road areas is sometimes difficult because they constitute a key political constituency for some high profile politicians.
The car lobby is also very strong and chances are it will oppose any policy that is aimed at discouraging people from buying and using cars in large cities such as Kampala.
It is widely recognised, however, that the road pricing schemes such as road tolls, parking charges and congestion pricing are the key to alleviating traffic jam and establishing transport systems that are efficient.
The writer is an urban and transport specialist teaching at Makerere University and Uganda Management Institute
THE recent emergence of traffic jam as a key challenge in Kampala has heightened the need for a coherent urban transport policy.
With rapid urbanisation and increased use of private motor vehicles, the management and control of road traffic have almost become impossible. The emerging view, however, is that the best way to improve traffic flow in Kampala is by imposing a congestion fee on all motorists driving in the central business district.
In the field of transport planning, congestion pricing is categorised as one of the Transport Demand Management (TDM) strategies. The primary aim of TDM strategies is to influence traveller behaviour for the purpose of reducing travel demand or redistributing travel demand in space and time. TDM also aims to discourage the use of private transport especially the single occupancy vehicles and promote mass transport.
Under transport management, the road space is often treated as a scarce resource that has to be used efficiently and optimally. In the heavily congested cities, motorists stuck in traffic jam usually impose costs on other road users. These costs are collectively called externalities. Externalities are manifested in the form of air pollution and time delay by motorists.
In a bid to alleviate the negative externalities caused by the increased use of private vehicles, many large cities across the globe have deliberately adopted a congestion pricing policy.
In Singapore, for example, congestion charges were first introduced in 1975. These were in the form of an area licensing scheme, which targeted motorists driving in the Central Business District area.
In 1998, Singapore upgraded its congestion pricing system from a manual-based system to an electronic-based one. Under electronic congestion pricing, congestion fees are often prepaid, allowing motorists to drive in the congestion charge zone without stopping.
Due to its coherent congestion pricing policy, Singapore has been able to establish an efficient and relatively congestion-free road transport system.
Currently, the average traffic speeds in Singapore are 33 kilometres per hour compared to 26 kilometres per hour in Hong Kong and 20 kilometres per hour in Tokyo (Japan). Besides, about 72% of the commuters in Singapore use public transport compared to 31% in Malaysia.
Similarly, in London, a congestion charge zone was established in 2003 as part of a wider strategy to improve the flow of road traffic. Under the same policy, all motorists driving in the central business district are required to pay eight Pounds.
The money collected is used to fund mass transport, including transit-related infrastructure. It should be noted, however, that congestion pricing alone is not enough to alleviate traffic jam in a large and poorly planned city like Kampala. There are other factors such as changing the way the city road spaces are used in the city.
For example many road sections such as the Kalerwe market road section are used as places for selling goods by the low income city residents. Evicting these traders from the road areas is sometimes difficult because they constitute a key political constituency for some high profile politicians.
The car lobby is also very strong and chances are it will oppose any policy that is aimed at discouraging people from buying and using cars in large cities such as Kampala.
It is widely recognised, however, that the road pricing schemes such as road tolls, parking charges and congestion pricing are the key to alleviating traffic jam and establishing transport systems that are efficient.
The writer is an urban and transport specialist teaching at Makerere University and Uganda Management Institute