Practices of Traffic Congestion Pricing Policies – Implications and Challenges for Cities in Pakistan

Abstract

Congestion management problems are acutest among other urban traffic problems. Developed and developing countries are all facing traffic congestion complications. This research evaluates the successfully implemented congestion pricing policies and barriers to such policies to determine the implications and challenges in Pakistan’s context. This paper reviews the successful congestion pricing policies introduced by four cities, Singapore, London, Stockholm, and Milan, to determine the behavioral responses and overall impact on urban traffic. It further highlights the factors that drive public acceptability for congestion charges, and congestion management practices for Pakistani cities. The results show that incentive-based travel demand management strategies could be more productive in Pakistan’s case than traditional congestion pricing schemes. Studying the successful pricing strategies and challenges in finding public support led to another research opportunity and the possibility of future implementations of traffic pricing policies in Pakistan. Regardless of public acceptability challenges, considering societal benefits and including public participation in policy making can be a pioneering step towards congestion management in the country’s complicated urban network.