拥挤收费是缓解道路交通拥挤最有效的方案之一,但其公平性饱受争议,导致社会接受程度不高.近年来提出了一些基于信用的拥挤收费方案,通过向低收入出行者发放货币信用,来补贴收费道路对其通勤出行造成的负面影响.以FAIR道路为例,首先定性地介绍其基本概念与系统设计,与传统道路拥挤管理方案比较其优缺点.然后,通过出行者行为建模在算例道路上模拟FAIR方案,定量地评价实施效果.结果显示,FAIR道路能显著地缓解交通拥堵,但方案的一些具体设计(信用政策)值得决策者关注.在我国道路交通拥挤日益严重,传统拥挤收费遇到巨大阻力的今天,研究结果值得我国公路和城市道路管理者参考和借鉴.
Congestion pricing is one of the most effective measures to tackle roadway traffic congestion. Its bias impacts on social equity, however, are the most concerns that hinder the public’s acceptance. Recently, a number of credit-based congestion pricing (CBCP) schemes were developed, which distribute monetary credits as subsidies to low-income commuters who may be negatively affected by the tolling highway. One of the earliest CBCP is FAIR (Fast and Intertwined Regular) highway. First, the concept and system designs of FAIR scheme are introduced, and then its pros and cons are summarized as compared to traditional highway congestion management strategies (e.g., HOV and HOT lanes). Through modeling travelers’ behaviors, the performance of FAIR scheme is quantitatively evaluated on an experiment highway. The results show that FAIR highway has significant effectiveness on congestion reduction, although some detailed system elements (e.g., credits policy) should be prudently designed in practice. The study is worth attentions of Chinese decision makers, especially in the current situation that the traffic congestion is deteriorating but traditional congestion pricing remains unpopular in Chinese cities.