EFFICIENCY AND FAIRNESS ON THE ROAD: STRATEGIES FOR UNSNARLING TRAFFIC IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

This report is the second in a series on solving transportation problems in Southern California. It arises out of the need to address questions of efficiency and equity simultaneously. It presents a methodology for assessing the impact of market incentive policies on pollution, congestion, and the distribution of transportation benefits and costs among income groups. The purpose of this report is to provide the information needed to design transportation policies that are effective at reducing pollution and congestion and that also are equitable. The fundamental finding is that efficiency and equity may be pursued simultaneously. Chapter One documents the environmental damage and economic waste of Southern California's current inefficient transportation system, and examines the distribution of transportation benefits and costs by income level among the region's 15 million residents. The second chapter evaluates the impact of a sample incentive-based policy, a $0.05 per vehicle mile fee, on pollution and congestion and on the distribution of transportation benefits and costs. Chapter Three explores how the design of efficiency policies can be tailored to achieve specific efficiency and equity goals. The fourth chapter raises the need to develop policies to encourage alternatives to the automobile and public transit. The final chapter presents the Environmental Defense Fund's conclusions and recommendations for increasing both the efficiency and equity of transportation in Southern California.

• Corporate Authors:

  Environmental Defense Fund

  5655 College Avenue
  Oakland, CA  United States  94618
• Authors:
  • Cameron, M W
• Publication Date: 1994

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 151 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Benefits; Costs; Economic efficiency; Equity; Impacts; Incentives; Income; Markets; Physical distribution; Policy; Pollution; Traffic congestion; Traffic mitigation; Transportation policy; User charges
• Uncontrolled Terms: Efficiency; Mitigation
• Geographic Terms: Southern California
• Subject Areas: Economics; Environment; Finance; Freight Transportation; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00664389
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Transportation Rept 1994
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Aug 25 1994 12:00AM