Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Congestion Pricing

Talking Headways Podcast: Congestion Pricing in the United States

The project to widen Interstate 5 in Portland will only bring more congestion. Photo: KHSU.org

This week on the podcast, Brianne Eby of the Eno Center for Transportation talks about the group's new report on congestion pricing -- its purposes and goals, the right frame to talk about reducing congestion, how congestion pricing is part of a larger toolbox, equity implications, and the U.S. cities might be the first to adopt pricing as a policy.

If you prefer to get your news through your eyes, rather than your ears, we have provided an edited transcript below the audio player. If you're interested in a full transcript, and don't mind a few typos from our automated system, click here.

Jeff Wood: The report talks about London's reason for pricing being economic competitiveness. They felt like the country and the city were not being competitive because of the congestion in the center. What's the most common reason that cities often consider pricing?

Brianne Eby: Yeah, that's an interesting question because I think it's probably somewhat different here in the U.S. right now. I think in many ways, the impetus here is to explore this as a climate policy or maybe to achieve a more equitable transportation system. And those are both incredibly important goals to achieve out of this. And I mean it's part of the title of the report: congestion pricing to achieve sustainability and equity goals. And so I think that those are really great reasons for exploring it. But one of the things that we lay out in this report, it's actually principle number one, is on situating the policy within a clear vision and purpose.

And so, you know, we felt that it's important for congestion pricing to be rooted in a clear vision before it's considered as apotential policy anywhere and places that have a clear vision or purpose for pursuing the policy and the goals that they wantto achieve are more likely to obtain a broad base of support for the policy. So the main outcome should be to mitigate congestion that's part and parcel with exploring this policy, but it can achieve a variety of downstream policy goals, like improving air quality, helping to achieve climate goals and promoting social equality.

These goals might ultimately be part of the city's broader vision for pursuing the charge. And so, you know, I think it's a little misguided to approach the policy as the one thing that needs to happen to achieve a city's climate goals or to achieve equity. I think it is a tool that can be used for all of these things, but it's not the only thing. In terms of economic competitiveness and why that was pursued in London, so there's a real downside to having congestion in cities, as you know, I'm sure your listeners and readers know if cars are stalled and sitting in traffic, then that's not only unproductive for the people that are sitting in those cars, but it's not productive for businesses or any entity that's based in the downtown area.

You want people to be coming and going in order to have a healthy and thriving city. And so the idea of this policy is to keep vehicles moving and keep people coming in and out of the city. And so I think London recognized that this is a way to help make that happen and to ultimately make the city more competitive both within the country and globally, too.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

America’s Kids Deserve Better Than a Waymo Subscription

What do America's young people lose when they have to buy independence from a corporation that rents out driverless cars?

July 15, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Aren’t Falling Fast Enough

Pedestrian deaths dropped by 4 percent last year, but remain well above pre-pandemic figures.

July 15, 2025

Monday’s Headlines Are Dragging Their Feet

The Trump administration claims the Biden administration left them with a backlog — but they've actually been far slower at getting transportation money to states than their predecessors, a new analysis finds.

July 14, 2025

These U.S. Communities’ So-Called ‘Complete Streets’ Policies Don’t Even Deserve the Name

Any city can call itself a "Complete Streets" champion. But not all of them are walking the walk — and if they don't, a top organization says they'll no longer give them a platform on its esteemed "best of" ranking.

July 14, 2025

Communities Rally To Reclaim Streets From ICE Terror

"This is an attack on Los Angeles. This is an attack on California. On all of us."

July 11, 2025

Friday Video: The London Neighborhood Where Bikes Outnumber Cars

...and how they got to that impressive milestone.

July 11, 2025
See all posts