Value Pricing
Value pricing, also known as variable pricing, congestion pricing or peak-period pricing, refers to a way to ensure free flow of traffic. Drivers wishing to use the priced managed lane must pay a fee to enter that lane. Demand for the lane is controlled through the amount of the fee; as congestion levels increase, so does the amount of the fee.
What is the difference between pricing and tolling?
| Pricing | Tolling |
| Used to manage congestion and/or highway demand. | Used to generate revenue to repay bond debt. |
Why use pricing?
Pricing will offer the ability to provide drivers with choices to bypass Atlanta's congestion by managing the demand on the highways.
What about fairness?
Priced managed lanes are fairbecause all income level users will benefit. Drivers who use the priced managed lane will benefit from saving time and trip reliability. Drivers who remain in the free lanes will also benefit because some cars that previously used the free lanes will move to the priced managed lane. Transit riders will benefit from increased trip reliability and time savings.
Lower-income users have been shown to approve of charging Single Occupant Vehicles (SOVs) to use priced managed lanes as much as higher-income users. Plus, revenues from pricing the lanes can be used to improve transit and other aspects of the corridor -- all users will benefit. See Congestion Pricing: A Primer for more details.
