Houston: congestion pricing canceled

I think this is indicative of what will happen everywhere if/when agencies
try to impose congestion pricing. Sure, economists like congestion pricing.
But it will hurt low income workers and that will be a show-stopper. For
managed lanes (when there are free lanes available), I think we can still
expect to see aggresive pricing like the 91 in SoCal.


June 21, 2007, 2:56PM
WESTPARK TOLLWAY
County will rescind Westpark Tollway fee increase

By BILL MURPHY
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett announced today that the county will not
double fees during peak hours on the Westpark Tollway, backing off a
decision made two days earlier that was assailed by many tollway drivers and
area residents.

``We will cancel the Westpark (peak-hours) increase,'' at the next
Commissioners Court meeting, he said.

Member of Commissioners Court, especially Commissioner Steve Radack, have
received phone calls and e-mails from residents criticizing the court's
decision Tuesday to raise Westpark fees from $1 to $2.50 per transaction
during peak hours.

The plan to rescind Tuesday's unanimous vote by the court ``was certainly
influenced by the public's reaction,'' Emmett said.

So-called ``congestion pricing'' was intended to reduce gridlock on the
tollway during the morning and evening commutes. But after voting for
peak-hour pricing, court members became concerned that doubling the fees
would force some drivers onto just-as-congested nearby roads.

The court also voted Tuesday to raise tolls on all Harris County Toll Road
Authority roads 25 cents, and that price hike will still occur, Emmett said.
Toll road officials said that increase will go into effect in September.

The 25-cent hike will increase Westpark transactions from $1 to $1.25.

Some Westpark Tollway drivers had said they would stop using the road when
peak-hour pricing went into effect from 6-9 a.m. for inbound traffic and 4-7
p.m. for outbound traffic.

It now costs $2.35 to drive the 14-mile length of the tollway in Harris
County. The court's vote on Tuesday would have raised that price to $5.50
during peak hours.

Kyle Bigelow, an Alief resident who drives the tollway, said he and his
friends already call the toll roads ``Lexus Lanes,'' and the peak-hour fees
would have only furthered that elitist image of the tollway.

Lower- and middle-class residents would have been forced to use secondary
roads, he said. Bigelow said he couldn't have afforded to pay $10 or $11 a
day commuting to and from his job in the Galleria area.

On Tuesday, Radack said of drivers who couldn't afford peak-hour fees, ``Let
them go down Richmond Road. Or they can use Westpark,'' a secondary road
near the tollway. His comment especially angered commuters.

But Emmett said Radack's comment may have been useful because many residents
phoned or e-mailed to say that Richmond also is congested and is not a
viable alternative.

Emmett said he and other court members reviewed alternatives to the tollway
and decided that it was unwise to force some drivers onto backed-up
secondary streets and highways where construction is under way, such as
Interstate 10.

``The truth of the matter is, we and the consultants hadn't factored in the
construction on the other highways,'' Emmett said. ``You can't have
congestion pricing if you don't have a place for people to go to avoid
congestion.''

Emmett said the county will look at other ways to reduce gridlock on the
tollway than peak-hour fees. Some possible options include partnering with
Metro to allow Metro buses to use the tollway without charge, encouraging
car pooling and improving alternate routes.

The toll road authority expected to make $65 million more annually from the
25-cent increase and the peak-hour fees on the tollway, said Peter Key, toll
road authority deputy director.

The money was needed to maintain the toll road authority's good financial
standing, pay for maintenance and build six toll segments estimated to cost
$4.4 billion.

Emmett said the toll road authority will bring in less money by not imposing
peak-hour fees, but enough to start work on the six segments. He was unsure
how much revenue would be lost by not imposing impact fees.

The hike will in part pay for extending the Hardy Toll Road to downtown and
the Sam Houston Tollway into northeast Harris County, turning the Hempstead
Highway into a toll road, carrying out the second phase of the Fort Bend
Parkway, adding toll lanes on Texas 288 and building the Fairmont Parkway.




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