Why Congestion Pricing Died

Tom Weber at Buzzwatch thinks it might have something to do with the very unPR-friendly name:

Neither word is too upbeat by itself. Strung together, the combination evokes thoughts of opening one's wallet while suffering a sinus headache.

Weber offers some alternatives courtesy of marketing pros and commenters:

StreetSmart - Burt Alper, Catchword Branding
FreeFlow and ClearPass - George Frazier, Idiom Brand Identity
TrafficEase - Allen Adamson, Landor Associates
GreenWay and ClearWay - James Bell, Lippincott
EZ-Zone - Upstate NY Dem, commenter

But if a more digestible name really could've helped congestion pricing's cause in New York, then it would've been another instance of American exceptionalism. Most other traffic authorities around the world that have adopted a congestion pricing scheme don't seem to have consulted any marketers. Here are names used by other locales:

Congestion Charge - London, U.K.
Toll Collect - Germany
Electronic Road Pricing - Singapore
Valletta Congestion Charge - Valletta, Malta
Congestion Tax - Stockholm, Sweden

But the latest city to join the congestion-pricing club has opted for a driver-friendly approach.

The EcoPass system was introduced in Milan at the start of this year and after one month:

Traffic was down 22.7%
Average speed of vehicles was up 11.3%
Subway use was up 9.1%
Pm10 (particulates under 10 micrograms) levels were down 26%
NOx levels were down 21%
Ammonia levels were down by 40%

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