The city of Bogotá in Colombia has partnered with US transport technology firm ClearRoad to pilot a phone-based app that measures traffic and provides data on congestion pricing strategies.
The ParceGo pilot is the result of a call for proposals to design a system that eliminates the problem of enforcement and explores new traffic management strategies to help the city reduce congestion and collect funds to finance sustainable transport modes.
During the three-month pilot – which runs until the end of this month – participants are being asked to record all their trips using the ParceGo app, which will measure overall usage and gather data on driving behaviours in congestion zones and main roads that have been selected by the city.
Eligible participants had to be at least 18 years of age, Android smartphone users, and vehicle owners. All types of vehicles were permitted to apply, including small trucks and commercial vehicles, in order to accurately capture the diversity of trips and vehicles that usually take place in the city.
ClearRoad is working alongside Cornell Tech, a technology-focused campus under Cornell University, to analyse the data in order to determine the optimal traffic management strategy and pricing.
“It’s important to set prices that will achieve the city’s goals – reducing congestion, raising revenues, and providing equitable access to the roadways,” said Dr Nikhil Garg, Assistant Professor at Cornell Tech.
“To set these congestion prices, we need to know how people will react to the prices: will they pay, change their route, or change their trip? And it’s especially important to understand how people will differ in their responses.
“Our hope in participating in the pilot is to understand these questions [on pricing and behaviour], and to develop the technical tools needed to provide better congestion pricing in the future.”
In 2021 Bogotá was ranked as the 8th most congested city in the world according to the Inrix index, with drivers estimated to spend around 94 hours a year sitting in traffic.
In March 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the city was forced to suspend its pico y placa (peak and plate) traffic management system for the first time since it was first introduced in 1998.
The pico y placa system was adopted in order to regulate traffic during rush hour by restricting the transit of vehicles in the capital based on their license plate numbers and the day of the week.
It subsequently introduced an enhanced version of the scheme in June 2020, which added new options including paid exemptions, and a high-occupancy vehicle exemption programme.
Although the enhanced system has the potential to combat pollution, reduce traffic, and promote better vehicle use and carpooling, it has faced multiple challenges related to enforcement and manual verification that has limited its effectiveness.
Aside from determining optimal pricing, the pilot aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of a phone-based app as a means for traffic management and for gathering congestion data.
At the end of the pilot, ClearRoad and Cornell Tech will submit a report to Bogotá Mobility Secretariat on the feasibility of adopting a phone-based app as a means for traffic management and enforcement.
It will also include an analysis of driving behaviour and suggested incentive or pricing models that the city can utilise to achieve its goals of reduced congestion and reduced pollution and emissions.
