Current studies underestimate the costs of congestion in Canada's major cities, with a focus on time lost in traffic. Governments also need to include the wider economic benefits that are foregone because of urban congestion.
. . . this book is an interesting collection of papers on the topic of road congestion pricing. . . The reader should find this collection to be both interesting and informative, but also quite thought-provoking. . . The papers also provide some very useful information about projects that have not worked or have not been implemented for various reasons and lessons that can be learnt from failures to implement and failures of pricing schemes. Peter R. Stopher, International Planning Studies In February 2003, the London Congestion Charging Scheme was introduced and in 2006 a similar policy was introduced in Stockholm. In both cases automobile traffic entering the cordon declined by about 20 percent. This book evaluates these and other similar programs exploring their implications for the United States. While there is increasing interest in road pricing in the US in many individual states, the motivation is often highway financing rather than congestion relief. The contributors argue that the prospects for extensive implementation in the US remain uncertain. Nevertheless, this book illustrates that the European experience suggests political feasibility is much less of a hurdle than was once considered and that congestion pricing would have a significant impact in reducing traffic as it did in Europe. This study s value lies in the fact that it examines road pricing in the real world and not simply from a theoretical viewpoint. As a comparative study it will appeal to both policymakers and academics in transportation economics and planning, urban economics, planning and economic geography.
Throughout the world, traffic levels are increasing and, in urban areas, these increasing levels have led to pressures on the road networks which are causing serious economic, environmental and social problems. This book examines the full range of 'push and pull' Travel Demand Management measures. This covers areas of regulatory, pricing, planning and persuasive policies to encourage individuals to make their trips in off-peak periods, by a different mode or to find another way of carrying out the trip purpose. Applying such measures can result in a more efficient transport system, improved environmental conditions and improvements in safety as well as revenue generation for use on alternative transport systems. The editors conclude with a summary of findings within the book and suggestions for best future practice.
Off-street parking requirements are devastating American cities. So says the author in this no-holds-barred treatise on the way parking should be. Free parking, the author argues, has contributed to auto dependence, rapid urban sprawl, extravagant energy use, and a host of other problems. Planners mandate free parking to alleviate congestion, but end up distorting transportation choices, debasing urban design, damaging the economy, and degrading the environment. Ubiquitous free parking helps explain why our cities sprawl on a scale fit more for cars than for people, and why American motor vehicles now consume one-eighth of the world's total oil production. But it doesn't have to be this way. The author proposes new ways for cities to regulate parking, namely, charge fair market prices for curb parking, use the resulting revenue to pay for services in the neighborhoods that generate it, and remove zoning requirements for off-street parking.
This book on road traffic congestion in cities and suburbs describes congestion problems and shows how they can be relieved. The first part (Chapters 1 - 3) shows how congestion reflects transportation technologies and settlement patterns. The second part (Chapters 4 - 13) describes the causes, characteristics, and consequences of congestion. The third part (Chapters 14 - 23) presents various relief strategies - including supply adaptation and demand mitigation - for nonrecurring and recurring congestion. The last part (Chapter 24) gives general guidelines for congestion relief and provides a general outlook for the future. The book will be useful for a wide audience - including students, practitioners and researchers in a variety of professional endeavors: traffic engineers, transportation planners, public transport specialists, city planners, public administrators, and private enterprises that depend on transportation for their activities.
Intelligent Vehicular Network and Communications: Fundamentals, Architectures and Solutions begins with discussions on how the transportation system has transformed into today's Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). It explores the design goals, challenges, and frameworks for modeling an ITS network, discussing vehicular network model technologies, mobility management architectures, and routing mechanisms and protocols. It looks at the Internet of Vehicles, the vehicular cloud, and vehicular network security and privacy issues. The book investigates cooperative vehicular systems, a promising solution for addressing current and future traffic safety needs, also exploring cooperative cognitive intelligence, with special attention to spectral efficiency, spectral scarcity, and high mobility. In addition, users will find a thorough examination of experimental work in such areas as Controller Area Network protocol and working function of On Board Unit, as well as working principles of roadside unit and other infrastructural nodes. Finally, the book examines big data in vehicular networks, exploring various business models, application scenarios, and real-time analytics, concluding with a look at autonomous vehicles. - Proposes cooperative, cognitive, intelligent vehicular networks - Examines how intelligent transportation systems make more efficient transportation in urban environments - Outlines next generation vehicular networks technology
A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you’ll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles—and why it just doesn’t work. New development and high-risk investing don’t generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens’ quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the “traditional” search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live.