#8. Congestion Pricing
Whether it's water, energy or Hannah Montana tickets, the best way to
encourage efficient use of a commodity is by putting the right price on it.
Ditto for driving. Cities around the world — including London and
Singapore — have adopted congestion pricing, which seeks to reduce car
use by charging drivers to use the most heavily trafficked inner urban
streets. Car-loving America has avoided the policy, until this year, when
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he would bring congestion
pricing to the most gridlocked area in America: Manhattan. Bloomberg's plan,
part of a long-term sustainability blueprint for the city called PlaNYC,
would charge cars $6 to enter the busiest parts of Manhattan between 6 a.m.
and 6 p.m. on a weekday. If he pulls it off, congestion pricing could help cut
carbon dioxide levels and New York's sky-high asthma rates — and perhaps
more importantly, show other American cities the way to go.