The New York Times reports that the ultimate solution to traffic congestion problems lies in economics – congestion pricing – rather than in technology. Clifford Winston, a Brookings Institution economist, tells the newspaper, “This idea of congestion pricing is not completely dismissed the way it once was,” and “the eventual introduction of self-driving cars would probably lessen consumer opposition to paying more to use roads during peak periods. Ride-hailing apps have taught consumers to accept surge pricing, and people are generally less resistant to paying for something new. The result would be something like variably priced lanes dedicated to fleets of robot vehicles.”
