Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jun 11;19(12):7189.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19127189.

Trends and Insights from Transportation Congestion Pricing Policy Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

Bhavna Singichetti  1   2 , Adam Dodd  3 , Jamie L Conklin  3 , Kristen Hassmiller Lich  4 , Nasim S Sabounchi  5 , Rebecca B Naumann  1   2
Affiliations

Trends and Insights from Transportation Congestion Pricing Policy Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

Bhavna Singichetti et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Toll-based congestion pricing (CP) policies are increasingly implemented globally for alleviating road traffic congestion. Several interconnected factors affecting or induced by CP implementation include air quality/emissions, travel time, and road user safety. We sought to examine and characterize research output and patterns across several domains (e.g., health, policy acceptability) surrounding toll-based CP policies, in order to identify where research has focused and where gaps exist. We conducted a structured review and identified 2333 relevant publications, using semi-supervised and machine learning strategies combined with manual review. Annual publication counts peaked in 2015 (n = 122). Themes identified from title and abstract terms included policy implementation characteristics, advanced transportation modeling methods and approaches, and public perception and acceptability. Authorship networks indicated a lack of interdisciplinary research. Country analyses identified the US, China, and the UK as the most frequently represented countries, and underrepresentation from low-income countries. Findings indicate that research focused on specific road user types (e.g., pedestrians) and safety impacts, and equity considerations were relatively sparse compared to other topics (e.g., policy economics, public perception). Additional research on these critical topics is necessary to ensure that such policies are designed to promote positive and equitable effects on road user health and safety.

Keywords: congestion pricing; cordon pricing; traffic congestion; transportation policy; transportation systems; travel demand management; zone pricing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram describing manual and automated steps in publication selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
PRISMA Flow Diagram for Congestion Pricing Bibliometric Analysis *. * Modified for a bibliometric analysis with no screening of full-text publications. ** See Section 2.2 for description of inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Title and abstract terms in congestion pricing bibliometric review.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Author/Research Collaboration Networks in congestion pricing policy research with time overlay.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Country representation in congestion pricing policy research with time overlay.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. DeCorla-Souza P. Congestion Pricing—A Primer: Overview. Volume 20. US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration; Washington, DC, USA: 2008. [(accessed on 26 December 2020)]. Available online: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop08039/cpprim100.htm.
    1. Transport for London . Central London Congestion Charging Impacts Monitoring: Sixth Annual Report. Transport for London; London, UK: 2008.
    1. Cipriani E., Mannini L., Montemarani B., Nigro M., Petrelli M. Congestion pricing policies: Design and assessment for the city of Rome, Italy. Transp Policy. 2019;80:127–135. doi: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2018.10.004. - DOI
    1. Federal Highway Administration Congestion Pricing Strategies. Congestion Pricing. Published 2 March 2020. [(accessed on 19 February 2021)]; Available online: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/congestionpricing/strategies/index.htm.
    1. Deng Y., Li Z. Activity-based bottleneck model and charging mechanism: A literature review. Syst. Eng.Theory Pract. 2020;40:2076–2089. doi: 10.12011/1000-6788-2019-2612-14. - DOI

Publication types