Demand Management through Congestion Pricing

Surat City center is often heavily congested due to a high population and business concentration, resulting in frequent trips and high demand for road space during peak hours. This results in adverse effects like time wastage, pollution, and costs for both vehicle operation and society. Despite having a good public transportation supply and coverage, Surat's PT ridership remains low. As a solution to alleviate congestion, congestion pricing is suggested to encourage a shift in travel behavior towards using public transportation. Although implementing congestion pricing can be challenging, the common issues are related to enforcement and not the technology itself. Congestion pricing can potentially generate revenue to improve public transportation and promote a positive cultural shift in Indian transport systems as many cities adopt Intelligent Traffic Management Systems through Smart city initiatives.