Cordon screen: A cordon-based congestion pricing policy evaluation method for U.S. cities.

Area of Science:

• Urban Planning and Policy
• Environmental Science
• Transportation Engineering

Background:

• Global urbanization increases traffic congestion, economic delays, and air pollution in cities.
• Traffic congestion pricing is a strategy to mitigate these urban challenges.
• New York City's upcoming cordon-based congestion pricing policy highlights the need for accessible evaluation tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose Cordon Screen, a sketch-planning methodology for evaluating cordon-based traffic congestion pricing in major U.S. cities.
• To assess the policy's potential for net income generation, traffic mitigation, and pollution emission reduction.
• To provide a low-cost, open-source tool for preliminary policy assessment, guiding further investment in detailed studies.

Main Methods:

• Utilizes national datasets and limited user-specific data inputs.
• Incorporates a range of user-selectable assumptions informed by academic literature.
• Applies the methodology to the Denver metropolitan area for demonstration and validates against London's early implementation results.

Main Results:

• Cordon Screen suggests congestion pricing is effective for net income and vehicle speed increases on major interstates in Denver.
• The policy showed less effectiveness in reducing air pollution and improving speeds on minor roadways in Denver.
• Validation against London's early results was acceptable, though revenue projections should be discounted.

Conclusions:

• Cordon Screen offers a viable, low-cost method for preliminary evaluation of traffic congestion pricing policies in U.S. cities.
• The tool's sensitivity analysis helps understand policy impacts on air quality and other goals.
• Refinement of Cordon Screen could establish it as a valuable open-source planning resource for urban areas facing congestion.