ERP

Thus far, I’ve walked past a few ERP gantries by foot and have never failed to notice the charges flashed on the LED screen directly above the gantries. After having seen a few gantries, I’m confident to say that the rate they charge is inversely proportionate to the perceived speed of the given vehicle class, not efficiency in human transport.

To illustrate this point clearer, I shall use some numbers (the list below is non-exhaustive):-

Motorcycles: $1
Cars: $2
Buses: $4
Trucks: $4

If you are thinking along the lines like I did, you’ll be asking why are buses charged more than cars when buses in actual fact transport more people per vehicle than compared to cars, reducing the number of cars having to be on the road at that time should all the people in the bus at that moment be driving.

That form of pricing shows how short-sighted the ERP system is.

What I believe the pricing for ERP should be is as follows:-

Motorcycles: $2
Cars: $4
Trucks: $4
Buses: $1

The pricing should be inversely proportionate to the amount of people per vehicle it is licensed to transport, not surface area nor speed.

After all, the point of car pooling is to increase the efficiency and scale of vehicular transport. This simple principle should also be applied to the ERP-protected areas. Otherwise, it’s just a scam to earn more money while exacerbating the problem (to cash-in further in the future).