A new game has been launched which allows players to optimise traffic in a virtual San Francisco by designing a road user charging system.
“Congestion pricing is a tool that has been used successfully by cities around the world to reduce congestion,” the designers of Unclog Fog City write. “Like those cities, San Francisco could use congestion pricing to keep traffic moving, increase roadway safety, clean the air and advance equity. How should congestion pricing work in San Francisco?”
The digital game from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority lets people design their own congestion pricing programme, with variables such as “What should the fee be? Should certain groups receive discounts or exemptions? Where should the revenue go?”
It’s being seen as a way of getting public buy-in to the idea of road user charging. The designers even point to London as a place where congestion charging has “kept traffic moving”. Draw your own conclusions about that!
