Abstract
A major challenge in implementing congestion pricing is the public perception that access to the road system is being taken away. Regardless of whether the road is paid for with taxes, tolls, or operational and congestion costs, a perceived take-away can make support for such investments difficult to generate. The greater Minneapolis–Saint Paul region of Minnesota has implemented two MnPASS managed lane projects on I-394 and I-35 west in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs and will open a third on I-35 east (I-35E) north of Saint Paul in 2015. This case study presents the results of a design alternatives study by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (DOT) for a proposed extension of the I-35E MnPASS managed lane, including results from Minnesota DOT’s outreach and education effort and a similar effort led by the Metropolitan Council for the update of the region’s long-range transportation plan. The MnPASS design alternatives included converting a general purpose lane to a priced lane. The study indicated the public would accept a take-away if there were clear and understandable benefits. Community dialogues held with I-35E stakeholders and additional regional focus groups conducted by the Metropolitan Council indicated that the public was generally not very well informed about the rationale for MnPASS lanes or managed lanes being a priority in the regional transportation plan; these results suggest that more outreach and education are needed and could help clarify the value of this approach.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 173-181 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Transportation Research Record |
| Volume | 2484 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Seattle, Washington, faced the take-away problem when the region proposed to charge tolls on the SR-520 Bridge to reduce congestion and to generate revenue to replace the existing floating bridge with a new bridge over Lake Washington. Seattle received an $87 million Urban Partnership Agreement grant from the U.S. DOT for transportation enhancements, including implementing variable tolling on the bridge. While drivers and transit would benefit from converting general purpose lanes to variably priced lanes through reduced congestion on the bridge, Washington State transportation leaders conducted considerable public outreach to explain the benefits. A major selling point was the need to replace the existing bridge and the use of the tolls as “an early down payment” on the new bridge (P. Rubstello, Washington State Department of Transportation, personal communication, May 16, 2014).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, SAGE Publications Ltd. All rights reserved.
