Congestion pricing in cities with low public transport mode share: lessons from the Auckland road pricing evaluation study

Given international interest in developing congestion pricing schemes, a key question is whether schemes are only a realistic option for cities with highly developed public transport networks. This paper explores the issues around congestion pricing in low density, low public transport share, urban environments and looks at the experience of Auckland, New Zealand in assessing the viability of congestion pricing. It concludes that road pricing in such environments can still be an attractive option, but that the approach to such schemes needs to be different to those already implemented.