Pricing-Turn the Problem Into the Solution

You don't have to be a genius to know how bad our current economy is.  So many would think that the cost of traveling, especially via personal car is already high enough with the rising cost of gas, along with high prices cars, tolls and maintenance.  Many would look at this as the problem in transportation and is making it less sustainable.  But in fact, transportation authorities could turn this problem into the solution.  If certain aspects of the transportation industry were more expensive, it could force people into more of a multi-modal transportation system that relies on many different forms of transportation, thus making the system as a whole more sustainable.  This is exactly what chapter 10 of William R. Black's Sustainable Transportation entitled "Pricing and Taxation" is about.  Black even starts the chapter with a quote from Lee Schipper in 1996 saying "Any policies or strategies to reduce the problems of transport without strong pricing components will only produce weak results" (Black, 117.)

Black continues throughout chapter 10 by discussing several different ways that charging fees can be used to help make a system more sustainable.  These include congestion-free pricing, which are basically toll toads, congestion-free areas which areas in central business districts such as London and Singapore where cars are charged fees to drive through them, and various taxes for pollution, fuel and use.

While almost anyone would agree that at the surface, charging more does not sound like a good idea.  But in my mind I think that all of the different proposed ways of using taxes and fees to both make money and keep people off the road is a good idea.  While some would say that these fees could cause less business, I think that most business will stay afloat as most trips should just shift onto other, mostly more sustainable, forms of transportation.  I think that if driving were to become a luxury again, then the transportation system would adjust to make due to the necessary trips.  It would also encourage more sustainable villages and districts where more necessities are located close to each other to reduce the number of trips in general without decreasing business.

What do you think?  Do you think making personal transportation such as cars is a good idea?