I.
INTRODUCTION
A. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The basic premise of this operation is - the drivers are required to pay a fee to acquire the
legal rights to drive and/or park within a specified zone and specified timeframes (Santos &
Shaffer, 2004). The simple act of driving along the highway means that an individual caused
an addition to the total traffic volume which means it further increases the likelihood of an
occurrence of congestion. Traffic congestion, aside from the increase in travel time and direct
costs to consumers - also causes external costs which are not directly borne by the consumers
(Litman, 2001). The existence of these incurred costs justifies the direct charge to the
consumers as an incentive for them to use the road resources more efficiently (Litman, 2005).
There are two general changes that were expected upon the implementation of this policy (a)
The medium at which consumers travel will change from private to public transport or other
convenient means like bicycles, motorcycles and walking; and (b) People will alter their
travel pattern to avoid the charging hours and/or charging zones. Both of which will
ultimately lead to a decrease in traffic volume most especially in rush hours where the traffic
volume is usually at its highest. In theory, congestion charging is a road decongestion
strategy which not only decongests traffic, but also raise revenue for road infrastructure
(Grisolia, Lopez, & Ortuzar, 2015). Assuming a position of full preparedness – in terms of
public transportations, route optimization, and system efficiency; perhaps the only fault of
this strategy is one that is political in nature (Litman, 2005) and/or one that is caused by
public dismay
.
B. PROBLEM STATEMENT
Studies that evaluate the applicability of traffic policies in Zamboanga City is severely
lacking – allowing for experimental traffic policies to be implemented without the being
properly grounded to the nuances of the city; which in retrospect, proved to be ineffective
and largely detrimental. Hence, this study aims to fill that knowledge gap and answer the
question on whether or not congestion charging will see as much success in Zamboanga City,
as it did in other places. If so, how would the people react to it? Will it face the same
opposition to similar policies in other places?
This study also seeks to shed light, and answer questions regarding the City’s public
transport preparedness and operation systems efficiency, as these things are deemed to be
crucial factors that decide whether congestion charging will succeed or not (TfL, 2003).
C. HYPOTHESIS
Policy Effectivity
H 0 : Congestion charging will be an effective policy in Zamboanga City.
H a : Congestion charging will not be an effective policy in Zamboanga City.
Policy Acceptance
H 0 : Congestion charging will receive an acceptance rate of >50% of the sample size.
H a : Congestion charging will receive an acceptance rate of <50% of the sample size.
D. OBJECTIVES
The problem of traffic congestion in Zamboanga City has been growing, and is
continuously growing – and because of ineffective policies, it is bound to worsen if not
addressed urgently. This study is to determine the following:
1. The effectivity of congestion charging in Zamboanga City, and;
2. The acceptability of congestion charging among the local community.
E. SIGNIFICANCE
This study will assess congestion charging – it’s effectivity and applicability, as a
deterring policy to battle against Zamboanga city’s ever-growing problem of traffic
congestion. The results and findings of this study will:
1. Lay a groundwork for future policy assessments relating traffic management,
and;
2. Provide a basis for future policies and project implementation – allowing for
policies to be adjusted according to specific area nuances.
II. PRELIMINARY LITERATURE REVIEW
London Congestion Charging Scheme, LCCS: London
Santos (2005) claimed that there was a 14% to 21% increase in average travel rate within
the charging zone after the scheme was put into effect. The post-implementation average
speed is between 16 and 17kph from the previously recorded 14kph before the charging
scheme was implemented. In retrospect, this increase in average travel rate is presumably
caused by the decrease of private vehicles (cars) within the charging area and replaced by
public transport like buses and less space consuming private vehicles like bikes and
motorcycles.
Santos & Shaffer (2004) estimated that the implementation of congestion charging in
London yielded a 15% to 25% decrease of car usage per charging day from the total car
usage reduction. This decrease was presumed to have been the result of the consumers’
changing their travel medium to bicycles and motorcycles - given that the number of bicycles
and motorcycles passing through the charging zone increased by 31% and 19% respectively.
The 20% to 30% of the total reduction was accounted to vehicles that have diverted their
route around the charging zone (Transport for London, 2004). The largest cause of the car
population reduction is the switch of people from private vehicles to public transport which is
between 50% and 60% of the total car reduction - particularly defined by an increase in the
number of bus riders by 14,000 ± 7000 people; an occurrence which was predicted by
Transport for London (TfL) and was preempted by providing a higher bus service frequency,
bigger buses, and altered routes. Consumer increase in other public transport was also
apparent – which notably caused a 19% increase in incoming taxis. While consumers also
increased in Rail transits and Underground systems the changes it caused were mostly
negligible.
Table 1: The increase/decrease of incoming vehicles to the charging zone during the 1 st year of
implementation
Type of Vehicle Rate of Change (%)
Cars -30
Taxis +20
Buses and coaches +20
Vans and Lorries -10
Pedal cycles +20
Powered two-wheelers +10-15
Source: Transport for London, 2004 & Santos, 2005
III. METHODOLOGY
A. RESEARCH DESIGN
This study is designed as a combination of correlational and experimental research which
not only aims to assess the relationships between traffic variables, but also seeks to establish
the cause-and-effect relationship between several independent and dependent traffic variables
such as: Public transport (independent) to congestion charging (dependent); congestion
charging (independent), to traffic density/movement and consumer behavior (dependent),
and; congestion pricing (independent) to acceptability of policy (dependent). Such design
will allow the data to be exhibit whether or not the policy is effective and/or accepted, and
the degree at which these abstract principles extend to.
B. LOCALE
Exhibit 1: Tentative Charged Roads (Marked red)
The study will focus on the implementation of congestion charging along Governor
Ramos Avenue, Mayor Jaldon Street and nearby road sections as shown in Exhibit 1. The
rationale being these two road sections displaying a poor performance (with a LOS rating not
exceeding D) on catering incoming traffic during peak hours – both morning and afternoon. (See
Table 1 & 2)
MORNING PEAK HOUR
Road Section Link No. of Present Time
lanes/width Traffic Capacity VCR LOS
Volume (pcu/hr)
(pcu/hr
)
Governor Veterans Ave. 124-7&7- 2-lane 2- 1,448 1,800 0.80 D
Ramos Ext- Sta. Maria 124 way/7.5m
Avenue - Pasonanca Rd
Sta. Maria – 12-140 2-lane 2- 1,898 1,800 1.05 F
Pasonanca Rd- way/7.5m
Veterans Ave. &140-12
Ext
Sta. Maria – 142-12&12- 2-lane 2- 1,673 1,800 0.93 E
Pasonanca Rd- 142 way/7.5m
San Roque Rd
AFTERNOON PEAK HOUR
Road Section Link No. of Present Time
lanes/width Traffic Capacity VCR LOS
Volume (pcu/hr)
(pcu/hr
)
Governor Veterans Ave. 124-7 & 7- 2-lane 2- 1,539 1,800 0.86 E
Ramos Ext- Sta. Maria 124 way/7.5m
Avenue - Pasonanca Rd
Sta. Maria – 12-140 2-lane 2- 1,869 1,800 1.04 F
Pasonanca Rd- way/7.5m
Veterans Ave. & 140-12
Ext
Sta. Maria – 142-12 & 2-lane 2- 1,645 1,800 0.91 F
Pasonanca Rd- 12-142 way/7.5m
San Roque Rd
Table 1: Present LOS of Mid-block Road Sections (Gov. Ramos Avenue); Lifted from
Transportation and Traffic Management Plan Study for Zamboanga City, UP National Center
for Transportation Studies Foundation, Inc.
MORNING PEAK HOUR
Road Section Link No. of Present Time
lanes/width Traffic Capacity VCR LOS
Volume (pcu/hr)
(pcu/hr
)
Mayor Gov. Camins 103-1 & 1- 2-lane 2- 2,310 1,800 1.28 F
Jaldon Ave.-Gov. 103 way/9.0m
Street Alvarez St.
Gov. Alvarez 5-115 & 2-lane 2- 1,471 1,800 0.82 D
St.-Gov. 115-5 way/9.0m
Camins Ave.
AFTERNOON PEAK HOUR
Road Section Link No. of Present Time
lanes/width Traffic Capacity VCR LOS
Volume (pcu/hr)
(pcu/hr
)
Mayor Gov. Camins 103-1 & 1- 2-lane 2- 2,010 1,800 1.12 F
Jaldon Ave.-Gov. 103 way/9.0m
Street Alvarez St.
Gov. Alvarez 5-115 & 2-lane 2- 1,363 1,800 0.76 D
St.-Gov. 115-5 way/9.0m
Camins Ave.
Table 2: Present LOS of Mid-block Road Sections (Mayor Jaldon Street); Lifted from
Transportation and Traffic Management Plan Study for Zamboanga City, UP National Center
for Transportation Studies Foundation, Inc.
C. DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES
The data collection process will be divided into two phases. The first phase is where the
researchers will gather the necessary raw data which include, but are not limited to: Road
dimensions, traffic density, design speed, actual travel speed, public transport situation, etc. The
data gathering process in the first phase can happen in one of two ways: (1) The researchers will
gather the data on the actual site, through methods like traffic count and alike. (2) The
researchers will reference a nuance- relevant and specific literature to obtain the necessary data
for the study.
The second phase of the data collection process includes the utilization of survey
questionnaires and interviews to determine the position of the local community regarding the
implementation of the congestion charging policy. The sample population will be stochastically
determined using simple random sampling whose size will be defined using Slovin’s formula
with an error margin of 5 percent at maximum.
D. DATA PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS
The data processing and analysis, like the data collection, is divided into two phases to
process the two sets of data that are varying in nature. The first phase deals with the data that
directly affects the actual implementation of the policy – this phase of data processing is to
determine the range, extents, and effectivity of the policy in curbing down congestion rates and
generating revenue. One of the analysis that will be conducted is one to determine the congestion
pricing, using the Marginal Congestion Cost (MCC) equation proposed by Santos & Shaffer
(2004) in their study. They said that the MCC is equal to the value of time divided by the product
of speed and its elasticity, with respect to flow, or:
b
MCC= e
s (q) sq
Of course, each factor of this equation greatly varies depending on where it will be
implemented, and such distinctions like the ‘generalized cost of travel’, and more; will always be
taken into consideration across the entirety of the data processing and analysis.
The second phase of the data processing and analysis will involve the analysis of data
gathered from the survey questionnaires and interviews. This phase concerns itself on the
policy’s rate of acceptability amongst the people who will be affected – as this is a factor that
greatly affects whether the policy will succeed or not.
F. TIMELINE
This project has an estimated completion length of 12 months. The following are the
activities that will be conducted and their corresponding estimated duration:
A. Crafting of the Initial paper: 0.5 months
B. Literature Review and data gathering from secondary sources: 2 months
C. Pre-data gathering preparations: 0.5 months
D. On-site data gathering: 3 months
E. Data Analysis: 4 months
F. Data integration and crafting of the final paper: 1.5 months
G. Finishing touches, polishing, and revisions: 0.5 months
REFERENCES
