During the congestion pricing planning process, consultation meetings with representatives from the public should also be conducted. It will provide the public with an opportunity to understand the rationale behind the process and provide their inputs. A. Chamber of Commerce / Confederation of Industries: They represent a very important segment of the society and may have a stake in policy matters and can provide contextual inputs on pricing freight and small commercial delivery vehicles during planning stage B. Civil society representatives: Most civic societies working in the transportation sector understand the issues well, and also have an insight in understanding citizens’ perspectives. Their views will be very valuable. They can give contextual inputs during planning stage on implementation area, congestion charge and charging exemptions C. Transport Network Companies and taxi unions: Congestion pricing will also apply on cabs that can be hired using mobile apps or otherwise. This can lead to a drop in their usage. Appropriate steps would have to be taken to mitigate potential opposition from taxi unions and transport network companies. Cab aggregators will also have to integrate congestion charges in their apps and inform passengers about it. 9.2.3
Spread the word widely
Key components of the program with targeted messages should be disseminated through media at every stage: before making the implementation decision, during the program design process, and during the operational phase. In the beginning, the audience is not aware of the impacts congestion pricing will have economically, socially, and environmentally; they perceive it as yet another tax. Acceptability is low. After experiencing the impacts of the project, the acceptability increases (see table below). Public should be given enough time, typically 6-12 months, to adjust to the scheme before assessing the success or failure of the project. Table 10 Acceptance for congestion pricing scheme in case study cities 85
Place
85
Before
After
Stockholm
21%
67%
London
39%
54%
CURACAO, 2009
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