Dominic Endicott’s Post

🗣 My latest piece in Forbes 🌆 🗽 Gotham Gridlock: What Can Untie The Governor's Gordian Knot? 🛑 In case you have been hiding under a rock, NY Governor Hochul paused NYC congestion pricing program that was due to start end of this month! ⚠ The recent postponement has flabbergasted everyone that was involved and reignited debate on how to restart this pause. 🗽Manhattan presents a unique opportunity to implement congestion pricing effectively, given its high density and existing public transportation infrastructure. 🎙️As the saying goes “if you can make it in New York you can make it anywhere”. However, is the reverse true? If you can’t make congestion pricing work in this city where can you? Share to your network and let me know your thoughts on how you would address the concerns and restart the program? 🔔 Follow me, Timothy Papandreou for the latest in emerging technology updates in this space. 🗣 For speaking engagements please DM me. https://lnkd.in/edniUZNm #congestionpricing #sustainablemobility #keynotespeaker #speaker #transportationpolicy #publictransport #livablecities #futureofmobility

*False narrative of (induced) traffic congestion to support useless spending in road infrastructure in Pakistan:* The pervasive issue of traffic congestion in urban centers across South Asia's developing nations especially Pakistan stems from a confluence of factors. Primarily, inadequate traffic management strategies, coupled with a dearth of effective policing to enforce regulations, contribute significantly to the problem. Furthermore, the populace's limited understanding of traffic laws, compounded by widespread disregard for established regulations, exacerbates congestion levels. The failure to account for the dynamic nature of user behavior and the general non-compliance with road markings/geometrical design further compound the issue. Additionally, governmental intervention often falls short, with nearly one-third of the city's road network perpetually earmarked for purported improvements. Paradoxically, this approach inadvertently exacerbates air pollution levels while failing to alleviate congestion. Consequently, the congestion index in these urban centers continues to rise artificially, providing a flawed and false rationale for easing the artificially by-design induced congestion while massively borrowing for subsequent technically unjustifiable expenditure on ostensibly remedial measures such as road expansions and underpasses that never seem working and development mantra goes on year after year converting our urban areas into concrete jungles. Despite these huge investments, congestion persists, merely shifting from one segment to another, perpetuating a detrimental cycle of resource extraction. Meanwhile, the populace bears the brunt of these shortcomings, enduring ongoing hardships without meaningful relief.

"Even as suburban sprawl, supercommuting rates and housing unaffordability expand the footprint of places like Houston and Phoenix, the focus generally remains firmly on highways and private vehicle travel, with a few light rail lines here and there. Advocacy groups or government agencies have put forward plans to create rapid regional rail-style systems in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, DC, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. But none have been fully constructed and implemented. For supporters of rapid regional rail, one of the biggest challenges has been explaining these projects to an American public with a siloed view of urban mass transit." #transit #transporation #sustainability

Think about the future. Starting next year. Robotaxis, Robotrains, RoboBuses and RoboTrucks. All clean & all battery electric. That is the future so tinkering around the edges with congestion charges or whatever is futile and inflationary. Rich people fly their helicopters into downtown but the rest of us can't do that. In five or ten years RoboCopters will fly people from Auckland Airport to downtown too. Battery energy densities have already reached the point where this approach is no longer a dream. People who don't need to go downtown stop maturely after they realise they can't find a carpark & congestion charges will kill small retailers and businesses operating in areas with congestion charges. Just a bad idea.

What's that? Actually building public infrastructure might be useful and do some good? And it might have multiplier effects that mean it actually pays for itself once you look at ROI over more than a 4 year window? Culturally the UK has a deep routed problem that is averse to any sort of infrastructure problem. We have no issue building roads that benefit individuals who can drive, but building bus links, cycle lanes, train lines or tram networks causes all sorts of uproar about cost - even though plenty of studies demonstrate the economic benefits of doing so and that per-mile economic activity is higher. It's infuriating.

As cities grapple with mounting traffic congestion, air pollution, and infrastructure challenges, policymakers are exploring innovative solutions to manage urban mobility and enhance the livability of urban environments. One such approach that has garnered increasing attention is congestion pricing—a mechanism designed to reduce traffic congestion and generate revenue by charging drivers for using congested roadways during peak hours. While proponents argue that congestion pricing offers a promising solution to urban transportation woes, critics raise concerns about equity, economic impacts, and implementation challenges. https://lnkd.in/eUs6z9eY

Urban Mobility : Use of Public transport is the best way to remove traffic Chaos in metro cities #urban #urbanplanning #urbanplanningdesign #transport #transportationdesign #transportationengineers #engineering #engineeringlife

New Urban Institute analysis with explores how bus priority lanes can expand equitable access to job opportunities. Our model finds that enforcement is a significant determinant of impact - clear priority bus lanes produce a ~5x average increase in job access compared to lanes blocked 50% of the time. We show how our model can be used to compare investment alternatives by comparing the access benefits and service delivery costs of bus priority lanes and increased frequency. Read more in our Urban Wire post: https://lnkd.in/eUuZDQYY

#PublicTransit offers a more sustainable and long-term urban mobility solution than highway expansions. While transit projects have higher upfront costs, they provide lasting benefits when properly planned. However, challenges like political influence and coordination often increase costs and timelines. ' In contrast, expanding highways rarely delivers the promised benefits. Studies show that when land use is factored in, the costs of highway expansion can outweigh the benefits by up to three times. Reducing roadways, rather than adding lanes, could generate a net benefit of $27.8 billion annually. We must rethink how we approach transportation investments to create a more efficient, equitable, and sustainable system.

A Smarter Way to Build Our Cities! Think of a rail system that does more with less—less land, less disruption, and less cost. This shared setup between suburban and metro rail lines shows how we can: • Use Land Wisely: Cut down on land needs and protect green spaces. • Keep Communities Together: Avoid displacing people and keep neighborhoods intact. • Save Money: Make better use of resources with big cost savings. This is how we can build cities that work for both people and the planet!