A major change could be coming to how much drivers pay to use the Illinois Tollway system.
And how much one would be charged would vary greatly — depending on if they venture out during a period of peak congestion or a less busy time.
The tollway’s 20-year strategic plan, which was approved by its board of directors late last month, includes a directive to explore what’s referred to as dynamic pricing.
Under this pricing method, which is also called congestion pricing, tolls are continually adjusted according to traffic conditions to maintain a free-flowing level of traffic, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
Prices adjust in real time under dynamic pricing; they increase during more congested times and decrease during quieter periods. While less predictable than a fixed rate, dynamic pricing’s “flexibility helps to consistently maintain the optimal traffic flow,” the FHA noted.
In such systems, drivers are typically guaranteed that they will not be charged more than a pre-determined maximum price — or below a certain amount.
A congestion-priced area typically has a performance target; for example, “traffic should always move between 55 and 65 miles per hour,” the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies said on its website.
“Its benefit does not come from revenue, instead the act of collecting revenue — the pricing itself — delivers a benefit in the form of a road system that works better,” the institute stated.
Dynamic pricing has received mixed feedback in areas where it has been implemented. Surveys taken prior to beginning congestion pricing have found that people are about 70% opposed, the FHA stated. However, after it takes effect, disapproval drops to about 30%.
Congestion pricing’s benefits may go well beyond improving traffic flow.
After enacting such a system, Stockholm, London, and Singapore all measured significant air quality improvements. Keeping with that thinking, the Illinois Tollway lists its initiative to explore dynamic pricing as one of its sustainability goals.
According to the Texas A&M University Transportation Institute, studies have found that variable pricing – which dynamic pricing is a form of – is one of the most effective ways to incentivize travel alternatives.
Adjusting toll prices encourages drivers to choose an alternate route, a different departure time, a different mode of transportation or to not take a trip at all, the institute stated.
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