According to a new report, Philadelphia is considering following the lead of New York City and could introduce congestion pricing throughout certain areas.
NBC Philadelphia says that the city ranks as the 9th most congested in the U.S. and that fees could be introduced as part of ongoing efforts to reduce congestion. INRIX reports that congestion costs average Philadelphia drivers $1,568 each last year, and the city itself $3.3 billion.
“Philadelphia is only considering congestion pricing as part of its overall congestion reduction efforts and has no immediate plans to implement any new related policies at this time,” spokeswoman Kelly Cofrancisco from the Mayor’s Office said.
The Big Apple recently announced that it will be the first city in the U.S. to introduce congestion pricing, but has yet to finalize exact costs or announce an implementation date. However, Cofrancisco did say that Philadephia will monitor what NYC does and adapt its policies accordingly.
“We always pay attention to policies in other cities to see if they can be adapted to fit Philadelphia’s unique circumstances, and we’ll be watching NYC’s experience with congestion pricing closely to see how this can help improve equity, safety, sustainability, and mobility.”
In the meantime, policymakers in Philadelphia are implementing other schemes to fight congestion, including a crackdown on double parking and cars driving in bus lanes.
Although congestion pricing hasn’t yet been implemented in the U.S., it is in place in other big cities around the globe, including London, Stockholm and Singapore.