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More than a quarter century ago, looking for a way to cut gasoline consumption and move the U.S. toward energy independence, lawmakers did the natural thing and searched for a politically painless policy response. Their answer was fuel economy standards that required automakers to improve vehicles’ gasoline mileage. While putting the … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Category: Automobile Regulation, Energy, Transportation |
 Leave a commentCan variable or time-of-day pricing, in which tolls for special high-speed or HOT lanes (High-occupancy/toll) adjust throughout the day, create better traffic flow on congested highways? That’s the proposition being tested in the Washington, D.C. suburbs where a partnership among private companies Fluor and Transurban and the state of Virginia … A CNN headline, January 23, 2013: “Southwest charges extra to board first.” We understand this may attract eyeballs (and thus advertising). But consider this alternative: “Southwest charges less to board five minutes later.” The framing here matters for getting people’s attention – Southwest long made a fetish of its democratic, … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Category: Airline Regulation, Quick Takes, Transportation |
Leave a commentEconomists are generally one-trick ponies on the subject of urban transportation: get the prices right (with congestion taxes) and let the market decide. We’re big fans of that trick – it has worked wonders for London and Singapore. Once you acknowledge the complexities created by everything from network effects to … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: congestion pricing, Yonah Freemark | Category: Quick Takes, Transportation |
Leave a commentIn the late 1970s, America’s freight railroads were collectively bankrupt, victims of a combination of rapacious unions, bad management and regulatory squeeze between long-distance truckers and well-organized shipping interests. Three decades later, they are financially healthy and delivering much better service. Consolidation, better management and some concessions from organized labor … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: Daniel R. Elliott, Jay Rockefeller, Staggers Rail Act, Surface Transportation Board | Category: Quick Takes, Transportation |
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Professor Dieter Helm (Oxford) is a very fine fly fisherman, and an even better economist. If you haven’t done so, take a look at his new book “The Carbon Crunch: How We Are Getting Climate Change Wrong — and How to Fix It” for a bit of unconventional wisdom. He argues that politicians and the general public have not shown any real interest in addressing climate change. Helm argues that places like Europe should focus on setting a price for carbon that would cover consumption (and not just production), and that fracking could be a good “bridge” technology for reducing consumption of coal. The book is readable and insightful for those interested in the inside track on climate policy. 
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