ONE of the tools for improving urban mobility is congestion charging or congestion pricing. Congestion charging has been applied successfully in several major cities, notably London, Singapore, Milan and Stockholm; it is now being introduced in New York City. It is also being considered for Jakarta. The Management Association of the Philippines has called for its implementation on congested high-volume corridors. It is an idea whose time has come.

Congestion charging works much like a toll and can apply to a road, corridor, area or zone (usually in the city center) in order to discourage the use of private motor vehicles. Certain classes of vehicles can be exempt from the congestion charge, such as high-capacity public transport, school buses and shuttles, office shuttles, emergency vehicles, etc. Any private vehicle entering the congestion charging zone or corridor is charged a fee to enter. By reducing the demand for car travel in the most congested urban areas, congestion charging can deliver improvements in mobility even without costly investments in infrastructure.