GPS Tolling Gets a Trial in Seattle


What if I said that I had a magic bullet that would guarantee citizens significantly less auto traffic congestion and provide beleaguered transportation departments with much-needed funds. How could you say no?

And yet, tolls and congestion pricing have long been considered political suicide in the U.S. However, in the face of shrinking transportation budgets and increasing congestion in cities around the world, we may have no other choice than to take another look at pricing schemes.
What if I said that I had a magic bullet that would guarantee citizens significantly less auto traffic congestion and provide beleaguered transportation departments with much-needed funds. How could you say no?

And yet, tolls and congestion pricing have long been considered political suicide in the U.S. However, in the face of shrinking transportation budgets and increasing congestion in cities around the world, we may have no other choice than to take another look at pricing schemes.

In fact, for the last few years, London has begun charging significant weekday tolls between 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., resulting in a 30% reduction in peak-hour congestion (as well as a round-trip time reduction of 13%). London’s tolling program is also raising significant transportation revenue, which is being invested in improving public transportation. Here is the Victoria Transport Policy Institute’s study of London’s tolls (PDF, 513K).

A new study in Seattle is looking at if or how cash incentives (the carrot to tolling’s stick) alter driving habits. This Seattle Times article compares the reaction of two participants: one didn’t change anything about his commute, while the other reports that he “basically stopped driving.”

GPS monitors mounted on participants’ dashboards track their behavior and automatically deduct charges from prepaid accounts; they get to keep any money left in the account at the end of the study.

The study, called the “Traffic Choices Project,” will see how Seattle-area drivers respond to being paid not to drive during the busiest days, busiest times, and on the busiest roads. Study authors plan to measure any change in travel behavior as well as how participants feel about the impact of monitoring on their privacy. Here is more information about the study from Puget Sound Regional Council.


7 responses to “GPS Tolling Gets a Trial in Seattle”

  1. So instead of charging people to drive, you pay people not to drive?

    That sounds like a pretty stupid idea, as it will cost a bunch of money. I would think charging them would be the way to go.

  2. I think that the study was designed to “mimic” the possible savings of someone who chooses to drive less on toll roads. Since there is not a network of tolls built in Seattle as of today, the cash out represents possible money saved while driving on toll roads in the future. I don’t think anyone is suggesting to flat-out pay drivers not to drive. Although that could lead to an interesting argument! By driving less you will save more, so I guess it really depends on how you look at it…

  3. In a few years we will have a sporadic network of toll bridges and roads. The New Tacoma Narrows Bridge(assuming the oxidation problem of the wire now being strung for the suspension cables does not kill it), a replaced Albert D. Rosselini Bridge(official name of the more commonly refered to Evergreen Point Floating Bridge), and a High Occuapncy Toll lane on SR-167(affectionately reffered to as the Valley Freeway), as well as the fleet of powered toll bridges, the Washington State Ferries, which are officially part of the highway system. The state plans to make those boats cover operating costs from the farebox, but they will still rely on subsidies from the Gas Tax(which Ammendment 18, WSC allows) and other funds for Capitol Projects.

  4. I don’t see why they can’t just track the distance, pay per the distance based on the stupid tachometer. They don’t need an expensive GPS to do this with.

    It truly sounds more like a tracking initiative than a roadway payment scheme.

    An even better solution would be to privatize the roadway system and allow market conditions to dictate what the price should be. High demand high price, low demand lower price. High demand roads can subsidize the low demand low funded roads. Get contract companies to bid, setup a payment/ordering schema and then allow them to toll people accordingly.

    There has to be a better way than to allow the Government to continue to pervade privacy, come up with silly schemes, and then say it’s better for us.

    Generally, know well, the Government does not.