Congestion charging: are the potential benefits worth the political and financial costs of the journey to implementation?

After almost 40 years of advocacy from transport economists and planners, there are still less than a handful of successfully implemented congestion charging schemes. Further still, the number of schemes that have been seriously promoted by governments, but have failed to be implemented has increased significantly, with Manchester, West Midlands, New York and Edinburgh being the most notable examples. The global financial and economic crisis represents an excellent point for policy makers and urban planners to stop and evaluate the future potential for urban congestion charging. This paper addresses three critical questions as part of that evaluation: What reason should I have to even dare think about this for my city now? Do I stand any chance of progressing this given all the failures and the high political and financial costs associated with it? What is a good way of minimising my risks and maximising my chances of success if I am convinced that congestion pricing is the answer?