E2 Series On London Decongestion Pricing
Here are some notes from the London episode of this great series. The episode title is ‘London: The Price of Traffic’ - it’s definitely worth your time. My own thoughts are in red:
- London learned how to do decongestion pricing from Trondheim
- Decongestion charge worked initially….then congestion went back up
- why? well, lots of space was reallocated back to pedestrians and bikers and buses - and lots of road construction work [construction? bogus. why not just raise the fees? and why not start introducing real street-level transit, like trams and light rail? why fill the streets with underutilized buses? at least someone be brave enough to pitch the idea of real transit.]
- 5% modal shift from cars to public transport (unique in any world city) [let's see how other cities with real transit systems, like NYC, compare]
- Taxi driver says way too many buses in the central area….that adds to congestion…. central buses running at ‘20%’ capacity…mayor says stats stack up his claim that buses and bus-only lanes are working…. but he’s given free transport to everyone under 18 who is in full-time education [this is why you need real street-level transit - throwing more and bigger buses and bus-only lanes at the problem won't help -- there's nothing for free in this world except advice from yours truly]
- “Transport for London” - unified transportation agency to do planning for all modes - walk, bike, train, car, etc.
- Decongestion charges raised the quality of life of the city…made the city more livable… not easy to quantify that value, but it’s very real…
- “100 Public Spaces” - focus on what we’re trying to do as a city. A city growing as fast as London should be used to improve the quality of environment…[not sure if Boris canceled this or not]
- Trafalgar Square got a lot of money for redesign…it used to be a highway….Taxi driver didn’t like result of redesign… too much congestion… 15-20 minute waits sometimes, now [sounds like cabbie is exaggerating. but, wow! so many cars, huge buses, etc. what a total *#**@*@* disaster London is.]
- small investments can transform a city beyond recognition…
- Parliament Square is different type of project from Trafalgar Square… Dope buildings all around area… Big Ben, etc. [highway-like...unreal.]
- Shared space scene [hilarious. traffic is so loud when it comes crushing by that we can't hear the guy speaking. worst idea ever. 'fewer accidents' cited. 'pedestrians and cyclists more terrorized' not cited. he said something about pedestrians and cyclists and motorists and everyone having to come to 'an understanding' or something. how do they say in England? Brilliant! I have those 'understandings' with cars all the time right here in SF -- I understand that if I don't get out of their way, I'm going to be a wet spot on the pavement.]
- Earlier scene had pedestrians *sprinting* out of way of onrushing motor traffic
- London has an urban boundary, just like Portland
- Stratford… poor area of town. 2012 Olympics preparations. Trams and bus infrastructure is going in.
- Ken Livingstone is mayor who started all the greening. Boris Johnson rolling it all back.
The solution to congestion seems pretty obvious - charge higher prices, and offer real transit - that means light rail and trams.
Leave comment (0)[p.s. The Forums are open for participation.]
