论文部分内容阅读
Many chinese cities reeling under traffic jams have been heatedly debating whether the authorities should impose a congestion charge， a fee on vehicles using city roads， to ease the flow of transport and cut down on pollution. it is the bone of contention once again as Beijing says it is mulling introducing congestion fees in 2016 to make its voluminous traffic flow smoother.
in december， Beijing’s transport authority said congestion charges will be included in the city’s 13th Five-year Plan （2016-20） to combat traffic snarls comprehensively. cars plying on select roads during rush hours will have to pay the fee. the aim is to restrict the number of vehicles on road and improve the efficiency of the entire city transport network.
statistics show that there were about 5.6 million cars in Beijing by the end of August 2015. traffic jams， especially during rush hours， have become a common occurrence.
Although Beijing has put in place measures to improve the situation， such as holding a lottery to issue car license plates， and making all vehicles stay off road one particular day every week， the problem is getting worse.
As the news of a possible congestion fee became known， the public is divided on whether it is reasonable and fair. those supporting the fee say it is a way to ration road space. if the cost of traveling by car rises， more people will choose public transport. But those against the fee argue that it will not ease traffic jams， only put an unfair extra burden on the average car owner.
PRO
Mao Shoulong
Professor of public policy
Despite the current restriction barring private cars from plying on the road one workday a week， Beijing is still suffering from serious traffic congestion. Therefore， it is necessary to introduce the congestion charge， a practice that has proved effective in peer cities abroad like London and Singapore.
I think the fee should first be levied in the busiest areas， like the downtown， based on traffic flow. If the traffic flow is heavy creating multiple jams， the government can charge car owners congestion fee. But if the traffic is smooth， there should be no fee.
There should be detailed surveys before deciding when and how much to charge. The principle is that the charges will resolve traffic jam. CA
CON
liu Yingtuan
Media commentator
Imposing congestion charges raises suspicion that the public is being robbed. The roads have been constructed with funds amassed from the tax paid by every citizen. We， citizens who have paid our legitimate taxes， have to also fork out an additional fee for driving on public roads. Isn’t it tantamount to robbing us？ The fee is supposed to increase the cost of driving a private car and consequently， ease traffic jam. But will it prevent government vehicles or the rich from driving their cars？ Of course it won’t. The fees charged to government vehicles will be paid from public funds， and the rich won’t be bothered by such fees. Ultimately， the ordinary people will become the victims. Even after having paid taxes such as the car purchase tax， consumption tax and insurances， ordinary car owners cannot enjoy equal right to drive on public roads. Obviously， it is also an attack on people’s civil rights.
Governance should not be restricted to collecting fees or imposing fines. It is more effective to improve public transportation by better planning the city’s transportation network. CA
PRO
Shu Xinping
Media commentator
It is just a matter of time for Beijing to charge congestion fee， given the current severe traffic jams. The key to charging the fee is to make it fair and reasonable. The fee should not be calculated based on monetary considerations alone because to the rich， no matter how high it is， it would still be peanuts. A high fee will stop only ordinary people. The rich will be able to purchase the privi-lege to use traffic-free roads. This would compromise fairness in using public roads.
In Beijing， traffic jams occur as a matter of course in many areas. There should be reasonable and systematic planning on which areas to charge and how to calculate the congestion fee. Besides， how should those residing permanently in the charged areas be treated？ How can they afford high congestion fees when they have to come home and park in charged areas？ Before levying the fee， all these issues should be resolved. CA
PRO
Zhao Jian
Economist
Imposing congestion charges is an economic measure to ration road space and ease traffic jam. It helps promote social fairness since traffic jams not only affect those driving cars but also those who take public transport. By charging a congestion fee， jams will be eased and public transportation improved. CA
CON
Jia Shunping
Professor of School of Traffic and Transportation Beijing Jiaotong University
Charging a congestion fee has little effect on easing traffic in big cities. Those supporting the fee often cite the example of foreign cities having adopted this practice. However， the fact is that most of these cities have only considered doing so. London began to charge congestion fee in 2002. But the result was not as satisfactory as anticipated. Though the congestion eased to some extent initially， as time went by， the policy was not so effective. Besides， the government had to invest in additional surveillance facilities and personnel. After deducting those costs， the money left to invest in public transportation was not much.
To change people’s mode of traveling， such a fee is far from effective. There should be additional supporting policies like establishing a better public transport system. But the public transport capacity in Beijing is reaching its limit. Some subway stations have to restrict passengers during rush hours. Ultimately， the result could be that roads would continue to remain jammed despite the congestion charge.
The policy should be based on a city’s governance capacity. Take London as an example. A lot of technical issues are involved in imposing congestion charges， such as how to identify the vehicles that should be charged and the privileged ones that should be exempted. If a municipal government cannot handle these issues， the policy will only create inequality and be a failure.
The large number of government vehicles on the road should also be taken into consideration. It is not fair to exempt so many government cars from this charge. But if they are charged， the fee the government will pay will actually come from public expenditure. CA
PRO
Zhou Yiting
Media commentator
The introduction of congestion charges will not prevent people from going out on work or business， but change their way of traveling. When they travel by car， they have to bear hours of being caught in traffic jam as well as congestion charges， a loss of both time and money. It may make people switch to public transport or cycling， or even walking.
What the government should do is to improve public transport and pedestrian facilities. When traveling by the subway or bus， cycling or walking to the destination is more convenient， time-saving and cost-effective than driving a car， the public will be glad to do so. Imposing a price for road use will alleviate traffic pressure and contribute to improving the city’s environment.
To make the policy work， the government should ensure the fee is levied fairly and the revenue generated is used in a transparent manner. Otherwise the policy may end up allowing some people the privilege of using roads without having to pay the congestion charge while the public get no benefits. If some privileged people’s cars are exempt from the charge， it will exacerbate social inequity. More importantly， the use of the revenue from the fees should be under public supervision to prevent corruption. CA
CON
Tao Ming
A resident in Beijing
As a private car owner， I paid the purchase tax and vessel usage tax when buying my car. I and other car owners also have to pay tax when buying fuel and a parking fee when parking our cars in public places. The parking fees are supposed to be used in city construction and maintenance and traffic management. After paying so many taxes and fees， I don’t think it is reasonable to slap an additional congestion charge on us.
Moreover， the downtown districts lie at the center of the city and are the hubs of government offices， malls， theaters， museums， convention centers， etc. They are the biggest sufferers from traffic jam. However， people still have to go to these areas. So I don’t think the congestion charge will stop people from traveling and ease the traffic. CA
in december， Beijing’s transport authority said congestion charges will be included in the city’s 13th Five-year Plan （2016-20） to combat traffic snarls comprehensively. cars plying on select roads during rush hours will have to pay the fee. the aim is to restrict the number of vehicles on road and improve the efficiency of the entire city transport network.
statistics show that there were about 5.6 million cars in Beijing by the end of August 2015. traffic jams， especially during rush hours， have become a common occurrence.
Although Beijing has put in place measures to improve the situation， such as holding a lottery to issue car license plates， and making all vehicles stay off road one particular day every week， the problem is getting worse.
As the news of a possible congestion fee became known， the public is divided on whether it is reasonable and fair. those supporting the fee say it is a way to ration road space. if the cost of traveling by car rises， more people will choose public transport. But those against the fee argue that it will not ease traffic jams， only put an unfair extra burden on the average car owner.
PRO
Mao Shoulong
Professor of public policy
Despite the current restriction barring private cars from plying on the road one workday a week， Beijing is still suffering from serious traffic congestion. Therefore， it is necessary to introduce the congestion charge， a practice that has proved effective in peer cities abroad like London and Singapore.
I think the fee should first be levied in the busiest areas， like the downtown， based on traffic flow. If the traffic flow is heavy creating multiple jams， the government can charge car owners congestion fee. But if the traffic is smooth， there should be no fee.
There should be detailed surveys before deciding when and how much to charge. The principle is that the charges will resolve traffic jam. CA
CON
liu Yingtuan
Media commentator
Imposing congestion charges raises suspicion that the public is being robbed. The roads have been constructed with funds amassed from the tax paid by every citizen. We， citizens who have paid our legitimate taxes， have to also fork out an additional fee for driving on public roads. Isn’t it tantamount to robbing us？ The fee is supposed to increase the cost of driving a private car and consequently， ease traffic jam. But will it prevent government vehicles or the rich from driving their cars？ Of course it won’t. The fees charged to government vehicles will be paid from public funds， and the rich won’t be bothered by such fees. Ultimately， the ordinary people will become the victims. Even after having paid taxes such as the car purchase tax， consumption tax and insurances， ordinary car owners cannot enjoy equal right to drive on public roads. Obviously， it is also an attack on people’s civil rights.
Governance should not be restricted to collecting fees or imposing fines. It is more effective to improve public transportation by better planning the city’s transportation network. CA
PRO
Shu Xinping
Media commentator
It is just a matter of time for Beijing to charge congestion fee， given the current severe traffic jams. The key to charging the fee is to make it fair and reasonable. The fee should not be calculated based on monetary considerations alone because to the rich， no matter how high it is， it would still be peanuts. A high fee will stop only ordinary people. The rich will be able to purchase the privi-lege to use traffic-free roads. This would compromise fairness in using public roads.
In Beijing， traffic jams occur as a matter of course in many areas. There should be reasonable and systematic planning on which areas to charge and how to calculate the congestion fee. Besides， how should those residing permanently in the charged areas be treated？ How can they afford high congestion fees when they have to come home and park in charged areas？ Before levying the fee， all these issues should be resolved. CA
PRO
Zhao Jian
Economist
Imposing congestion charges is an economic measure to ration road space and ease traffic jam. It helps promote social fairness since traffic jams not only affect those driving cars but also those who take public transport. By charging a congestion fee， jams will be eased and public transportation improved. CA
CON
Jia Shunping
Professor of School of Traffic and Transportation Beijing Jiaotong University
Charging a congestion fee has little effect on easing traffic in big cities. Those supporting the fee often cite the example of foreign cities having adopted this practice. However， the fact is that most of these cities have only considered doing so. London began to charge congestion fee in 2002. But the result was not as satisfactory as anticipated. Though the congestion eased to some extent initially， as time went by， the policy was not so effective. Besides， the government had to invest in additional surveillance facilities and personnel. After deducting those costs， the money left to invest in public transportation was not much.
To change people’s mode of traveling， such a fee is far from effective. There should be additional supporting policies like establishing a better public transport system. But the public transport capacity in Beijing is reaching its limit. Some subway stations have to restrict passengers during rush hours. Ultimately， the result could be that roads would continue to remain jammed despite the congestion charge.
The policy should be based on a city’s governance capacity. Take London as an example. A lot of technical issues are involved in imposing congestion charges， such as how to identify the vehicles that should be charged and the privileged ones that should be exempted. If a municipal government cannot handle these issues， the policy will only create inequality and be a failure.
The large number of government vehicles on the road should also be taken into consideration. It is not fair to exempt so many government cars from this charge. But if they are charged， the fee the government will pay will actually come from public expenditure. CA
PRO
Zhou Yiting
Media commentator
The introduction of congestion charges will not prevent people from going out on work or business， but change their way of traveling. When they travel by car， they have to bear hours of being caught in traffic jam as well as congestion charges， a loss of both time and money. It may make people switch to public transport or cycling， or even walking.
What the government should do is to improve public transport and pedestrian facilities. When traveling by the subway or bus， cycling or walking to the destination is more convenient， time-saving and cost-effective than driving a car， the public will be glad to do so. Imposing a price for road use will alleviate traffic pressure and contribute to improving the city’s environment.
To make the policy work， the government should ensure the fee is levied fairly and the revenue generated is used in a transparent manner. Otherwise the policy may end up allowing some people the privilege of using roads without having to pay the congestion charge while the public get no benefits. If some privileged people’s cars are exempt from the charge， it will exacerbate social inequity. More importantly， the use of the revenue from the fees should be under public supervision to prevent corruption. CA
CON
Tao Ming
A resident in Beijing
As a private car owner， I paid the purchase tax and vessel usage tax when buying my car. I and other car owners also have to pay tax when buying fuel and a parking fee when parking our cars in public places. The parking fees are supposed to be used in city construction and maintenance and traffic management. After paying so many taxes and fees， I don’t think it is reasonable to slap an additional congestion charge on us.
Moreover， the downtown districts lie at the center of the city and are the hubs of government offices， malls， theaters， museums， convention centers， etc. They are the biggest sufferers from traffic jam. However， people still have to go to these areas. So I don’t think the congestion charge will stop people from traveling and ease the traffic. CA