Controlling Traffic in Toll Roads
Traffic jam is a problem faced by all major cities in the world. Consequently, different cities have developed ways of dealing with this problem. One of the common ways in the United States has been the use of toll roads in metro areas. These roads require users to pay a certain amount of money to use the road which is in some cases dependent on the time and amount of traffic on the road. These roads have been a success leading an increase in the amount of traffic they handle. As a result, the managers of these roads are looking for ways to improve the efficiency of these roads since their popularity is affecting the flow of traffic. Most of the toll roads are increasing the fee to discourage drivers from using them. They are also offering toll credits to users who are carpooling and those use public means. This is to encourage people to travel in public means and discourage those using private means from travelling alone. This is expected to improve the number of people using the roads without increasing the number of vehicles (Vock par7).
The issue of traffic congestion and efficiency of solutions cities are using to deal with this problem is of great interest to the public. The public expects the government and other authorities responsible for the running of the cities to offer plausible solutions to existing problems (Cecil and Kuska 15). That is why toll roads have been introduced in the past few years and are gaining popularity since the public appreciates the impact they have had on traffic jams. In addition, public resources have been used in this project and must deliver the expected results. Therefore, the management of these roads must ensure that they meet the standards that have been set. This is a tough task since as the number of vehicles using the roads increase, congestion will creep in. furthermore, the solution to increased traffic must not involve charging exorbitant rates to users. This type of solution does not address the critical problem which is handling increased traffic without raising rates and affecting efficiency. Consequently, the managers are looking for ways of handling this problem in a manner that does not render the project useless or too expensive. Management of public resources revolves around high levels of efficiency which require formulation of policies aimed to deal with present and future challenges without placing excessive burdens on the tax payers (Cecil and Kuska 17). This is in many cases involve requesting for public participation when addressing some of the problems. This is necessary especially where all possible solutions are likely to affect the taxpayer positively and negatively.
Public managers are affected in different ways by problems and issues that face the public. The issue of management of traffic jams have far reaching implications on them since it demands that solve these problems effectively without aggravating the issue or using more public resources. This compounds the problem since some of the issues require funds which are not always available. Regardless of that, the public still expects them to solve the problems. Consequently, they must engage the public and also under take research to find out how their colleagues in different cities and countries solve similar problems (Cecil and Kuska 18). Failure to do this results to inefficiencies and policies that fail to solve the problems faced by the public.
Works Cited
Steward, W. Cecil, and Kuska, Sharon Suzanne. “Sustainometrics: Measuring Sustainability: Design, Planning, and Public Administration for Sustainable Living.” (2011). Web. April 15, 2015
Vock, C. Daniel. “How Cities Are Trying to Combat Toll Traffic” (2015). Web. 15th April, 2015