Congestion Pricing, Air Pollution and Children’s Health

Nitrogen Dioxide, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Transportation in Urban Areas: Lessons From the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Congestion pricing leverages the use of smart sensor technologies to charge a fee for using a vehicle during peak hours. This policy has been used successfully in Singapore, London, Oslo and other cities (Eliasson 2018) and has been shown to have a positive impact in terms of reducing traffic and air pollution, and improving public health (Simeonova et al, 2018). It has also been evaluated for New York City (Baghestani et al, 2020).…”

Low emission zones and population health

“…Traffic contributes to more than one quarter of ambient air pollution in urban areas. Various solutions such as direct user charges, congestion pricing, license plate based restrictions, and low emission zones have become popular tools to reduce traffic-induced pollution (Davis, 2008, Simeonova et al, 2018, Wolff, 2014. The policies aiming to improve air quality primarily target population health: pollutants such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and ozone can exacerbate already existing medical conditions and in some cases even cause them.…”

“…Similarly, Currie and Neidell (2005), , Coneus and Spiess (2012) link pollution to residential location and show that higher levels of carbon monoxide both before and after birth aggravate infant health. The evidence also shows that exposure to air pollution adversely affects child respiratory health, particularly asthma (Neidell, 2004, 2009, Lleras-Muney, 2010, Beatty and Shimshack, 2011, Janke, 2014, Simeonova et al, 2018. Only few papers also examine the effect on the elderly.…”

“…First, despite the rich evidence available on the direct link between pollution and health, little is known on policy instruments targeting air pollution. Two studies using policyinduced variation exploit electronic toll collection in New Jersey and Pennsylvania (Currie and Walker, 2009) and congestion pricing in Stockholm (Simeonova et al, 2018). The LEZs have been previously evaluated in terms of their effect on air pollution, particularly P M10, whereas it is unclear whether they generate health benefits as well.…”

Did the London congestion charge reduce pollution?

“…Gibson and Carnovale (2015) examine the introduction, and temporary cessation, of the Milan congestion charge and demonstrate marked reductions in CO and measures of particulate matter. The fees in Stockholm reduced ambient air pollution by 5 to 10 percent and this reduction resulted in a significant decrease in acute asthma attacks among young children (Simeonova et al, 2017). The mixed results, locations and methods of these studies certainly leave room for a new examination of the London CCZ and its consequences on air pollution.…”