In urban areas across the country, people are not only fed up with gridlock they're paying for it. Congestion pricing charges a premium to road users who want to drive during peak periods such as rush hour or holiday weekends.
Drivers pay a toll to enter congested areas.
The toll varies according to the level of congestion with higher tolls during peak hours or in peak directions. This concept has been explored for many years, and it has been successfully applied in public airline pricing, public utility pricing, and other areas of transportation and the private economy. Proponents of congestion pricing claim the strategy would work in crowded traffic lanes because the peak-hour users of the transportation system would be charged directly and proportionally. Revenue from these fees could be used to help support alternative forms of transportation and other environmental measures. Experience in other countries, particularly in France, demonstrates that congestion pricing does significantly reduce gridlock during peak traffic periods.