Cordon-based congestion pricing reliably and durably reduces vehicle traffic entering the charged zone, provided the charge is set at a mean
Cordon-based congestion pricing reliably and durably reduces vehicle traffic entering the charged zone, provided the charge is set at a meaningful level and exemptions are kept narrow.
New York City's Central Business District tolling cut vehicles entering the zone by about 11% — roughly 27 million fewer vehicles — in its first year beginning January 2025.
Stockholm's cordon charge cut cordon-crossing traffic by roughly 20% from 2006; the reduction has held for over fifteen years and, once external factors are controlled for, has if anything strengthened slightly over time.
London's central charge produced sizeable within-zone traffic reductions after 2003, but the effect eroded over time and was blunted where exemptions (notably for diesel vehicles) were broad, showing the reduction is real but design-sensitive.