by Barry Dennis

Created on: May 09, 2009   Last Updated: May 13, 2009

Let's accept that congestion pricing would, in the short term 5-10 years, spread out but not reduce traffic into urban districts, primarily for work. If we're not reducing traffic, just spreading it out, then pollution will be the same, parking spaces needed will be the same, commute times may reduce slightly. Since many say that parking analysis of urban needs indicates less spaces available than those that are needed, only those who pay congestion pricing premiums will get the available slots. Some might say that isn't fair, and demonstrates once again that those with higher incomes will take advantage of those with lower incomes.

Compare congestion pricing to energy fuel taxes, particularly gas and diesel, maybe natural gas transportation fuels, on a significant level, on the order of $1.25-1.50 per gallon of gas and equivalents.

What would that process achieve?

As recently observed in U.S. when oil, and therefore gasoline prices peaked, demand declined precipitously, to the extent that as of the current time, overall driving mileage continues to decline, only now the recession is added to the mix, compounding the decline. Not only that but the demand for well-designed Hybrid and other environmentally efficient cars and trucks increased significatly with the prospect that a growing percentage of new cars and truckspruchased will be much more fuel efficient.

Transportation fuel taxes will absolutely affect conservation in a positive way by reducing miles driver, encouraging car pooling, and hopefully, perhaps most importantly, public transportation. Real public transportation, long and short distance, underground, secure transportation for both leisure and business, commercial and government.

Technology has improved to the point that underground tunneling is significantly more economical that it used to be. Rights of way already exist under be.beltways and city-to-city interstates. Add to that the significant capacity for underground infrastructure existing on utility rights-of-way now used for overhead power lines-generation-to-substation, mostly- and we're talking real, sustained, and sustainable economic and environmental improvements. To say nothing of millions of acres of valuable above ground real estate now used for powerlines that could be moved underground, generating greater security, and many other benefits from diversified usage, such as high-speed 'chunnel" tube consumer and freight transportation, utility tunnels, even passenger throughway's.

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