Spillover Effect Details
- Policy
-
Swiss Roads Initiative
- Alternative
-
Congestion Pricing and Incentives for Carpooling
- Dimension
- Environment
- Criteria
-
- Air pollution (emissions)
- Time Frame
- 30
- Score
-
- PositiveImpact
- Implementing congestion pricing could lead to a significant reduction in vehicle emissions across the A1 motorway as fewer cars are encouraged to travel during peak hours. This could result in a long-term improvement in air quality, leading to better public health outcomes for current and future generations. Revenue generated from congestion pricing could also be reinvested into public transport enhancements, making sustainable transport options more viable for daily commuters.
- NegativeImpact
- There is a risk that congestion pricing may disproportionately affect lower-income workers who rely on cars for commuting, potentially exacerbating socioeconomic disparities. Additionally, if not calibrated correctly, it could lead to increased traffic on alternate routes resulting in localized congestion and pollution. Finally, if the generated revenues are not efficiently utilized for sustainable transportation solutions, it could lead to wasted resources and exacerbate rather than alleviate the current transport issues.
- Description
- While congestion pricing has demonstrated some effectiveness in urban settings, its implementation on a large scale across the A1 motorway in Switzerland may not yield the desired impact without complementary measures. Given the current context where the existing infrastructure is heavily congested and relies on private vehicular movement, simply implementing a fee structure may not sufficiently alleviate traffic, particularly if alternatives like public transit are not robustly improved or promoted simultaneously. Moreover, the pricing could deter essential workers from engaging in the workforce if they become priced out of fair mobility. Therefore, when analyzing its long-term impacts on future generations, it appears that this approach alone would rank poorly against more integrated transport solutions that not only manage congestion but also actively improve air quality and accessibility.