Right time, right place, right price: a practical plan for congestion charging in Sydney and Melbourne
This new report lays out a detailed, feasible, and fair congestion-charging scheme for Australia’s two biggest cities. Within the next five years, the NSW and Victorian governments should introduce a cordon charge around the CBDs of Sydney and Melbourne. Drivers should be charged $5 to enter the CBD during the weekday morning peak and another $5 to exit in the afternoon peak. The money raised should be spent on upgrading CBD streets to make them safer and less congested for pedestrians. The $5 charge should apply from 8am to 9.30am, and from 4pm to 6pm. A $3 charge should apply in the half-hour either side of the morning peak, and in the hour before and the half-hour after the afternoon peak. Driving to and from the CBDs would remain free at all other times of the day, on weekends, and on public holidays. Within five years of the CBD cordon charges being introduced, a per-kilometre charge should be imposed in peak periods on the most congested arterial roads and urban freeways in both cites. A 30-cents per kilometre charge could increase speeds on the charged roads by more than 10 per cent in the morning peak. Eventually, drivers should be charged on a per-kilometre basis for driving across each city’s entire road network at the busiest times – but only as part of a package of measures including abolishing fuel excise and creating a safety net to ensure people on low incomes and with impaired mobility are not disadvantaged. Ambitious reforms are always challenging for governments. But Australian governments have the advantage that they can learn from cities around the world that have already successfully implemented congestion charging. It’s time for Sydney and Melbourne to join these cities in the fast lane.
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Availability:
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Corporate Authors:
Grattan Institute
8 Malvina Place Carlton, VIC 3053 Australia
Carlton, Victoria -
Authors:
- Terrill, M
- Moran, G
- Ha, J
- Publication Date: 2019-11
Language
- English
Media Info
- Pagination: 108p
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Business districts; Congestion pricing; Peak hour traffic; Policy; Road pricing; User charges
- Geographic Terms: Melbourne (Australia); Sydney (Australia)
- ATRI Terms: Business district; Congestion pricing; Peak hour; Policy; Road pricing; Road user charges
- Subject Areas: Policy;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01724234
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: ARRB Group Limited
- ISBN: 9780987635976
- Report/Paper Numbers: 2019-11
- Files: ITRD, ATRI
- Created Date: Dec 2 2019 3:43PM