Incentive Tolls for Congestion Management: A Planning Tool for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

A congestion pricing planning model was developed for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The model is designed to evaluate possible incentive tolls for their effects on congestion delays at the six bridges and tunnels the authority operates between New Jersey and New York. The study used a stated preference survey administered to bridge and tunnel users, econometric choice models, and plaza volume-delay relationships as a basis for simulating the effects of changes in toll structure. The survey identified characteristics of trips, feasible alternatives for the trips, and the trip makers. A stated preference choice exercise was included to reveal trade-offs among toll, plaza delay, facility choice, and time period when the crossing would be made. Responses to the exercise were combined with other survey data, and econometric models of choice were estimated. The models associate the probability of travel choices with the conditions faced at the alternatives. The policy evaluation planning model combined choice model results, survey responses from individual respondents, and data on facility conditions, volumes, and capacities. As input it accepts a user-specified menu of tolls and discounts, potentially varying both by hour and by facility. As output it predicts automobile volumes, average delays, total delays, and toll revenue by hour and facility. The model is constructed to achieve equilibrium among tolls, delays, and volumes. Application of the model indicates considerable potential for reducing plaza delays.