THE ROLE OF PRICING AND MARKET-BASED STRATEGIES. SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS

This report is a summary of proceedings from a major symposium convened by the Public Policy Program of UCLA Extension in October 1992 which examined the role of transportation pricing and other market-based strategies in reducing congestion and improving air quality. The purpose of the program was to examine with policy leaders and practitioners specific pricing experiences and proposals in California and elsewhere, and to review the most recent research undertaken on the topic. Major topics addressed by the symposium included: How effective are pricing strategies in changing travel behavior and what are the resulting impacts on congestion? How is air quality affected by transportation pricing strategies, and what are the various strategies being proposed for reducing emissions? How will pricing and market-based strategies affect urban form? What are the social equity issues associated with pricing and market-based strategies? How should revenues generated by these strategies by used? What obstacles must be overcome to make pricing strategies acceptable to the public, and also politically viable? This symposium was the second in an annual series being convened to address the connections between transportation, land use and air quality. Each year a specific topic is selected for detailed examination relating to the interrelationships between these three areas. The contents of the summary are organized as follows: (I) Overview; (II) Summary of Key Topics and Discussions; and (III) Appendices. Section II addresses the following topics: (A) Overview and Introduction--Pricing and Market-Based Strategies; (B) Changing Travel Behavior Through Transportation Pricing and Market-Based Strategies: A Look at Three Major Policy Approaches; (C) Case Studies and Other Pricing Ideas/Proposals; (D) Exploring Social Equity Issues Associated With Pricing and Market-Based Strategies; (E) What We Know About the Effects of Pricing and Subsidy Policies (Past and Present) on Urban Form and Travel Patterns; (F) Lessons Learned from the Symposium and Where We Go From Here; and (G) Conclusions.