5 lessons from Stockholm’s bold congestion-reduction plan for any city to copy

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Today, in Stockholm, congestion charging is like driving on the right side of the road: Of course you do it.
So, we decided to relieve the city core from congestion and emissions, markedly.
And once Stockholmers experienced the congestion charges in action, they quickly witnessed the benefits.
First, we had the experts ready Most transportation experts agree: It’s silly not to charge cars on congested roads.
Stockholm already had a community of congestion-charge experts who knew the local intricacies and were ready to help when the opportunity emerged.
They served as allies on the congestion-charging campaign trail, if you will.
Second, we started on a trial basis With congestion charges, the hardest part is the politics.
We introduced congestion charges on a trial basis for only seven months.
People saw immediate benefits and continuous congestion reductions.
Next, we had a public referendum on permanent charges.
And when the permanent charges were in place, public support leaped to two-thirds.
Third, we designed efficiently and communicated effectively Our engineers designed the charging system for efficiency.
They placed license plate recognition cameras on the bottlenecks leading to the inner city, charging just enough to eliminate every fifth trip.
Fourth, we let drivers decide how to adjust We charged up to 2 euros per crossing, in or out of the inner-city area.
How drivers adjust will vary by city, but generally you want to let them choose, while offering many different options.
Ten years after the trial, in 2016, we finally raised the charge amount for the first time.
So, by investing our congestion-charge revenues into mass transit, we’re helping as many people as possible.
Now, Stockholmers are asking a different question: What’s a fair price to pay for occupying crowded space and adding to city emissions?
Our response is this: As we consider refining the system, it will indeed make sense to charge the most polluting vehicles more

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