CONGESTION CHARGING IN DOWNTOWN,

SADDAR - RAWALPINDI
ADDRESSING TRAFFIC CHALLENGES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
OUR TEAM AND THEIR ROLES

Muhammad Shaharyar
Waseeullah Khan Affan Siddique Ahmad Arslan
Usman Attique
• Congestion • Congestion in • Feasibility Study • Infrastructure & • Infrastructure &
Charging & its Saddar Implementation Implementation
Types
CONGESTION CHARGING

“Congestion charging is a demand management strategy that aims to reduce

traffic congestion by charging drivers a fee for entering specific areas, such as
central business districts, during peak hours.”

Back from 1975 when Singapore introduced the first congestion pricing system on its
urban roads, which was later refined in 1998. Since then, congestion charging has been
implemented in cities such as London, Stockholm, Milan, and Gothenburg, among others.

Congestion charge was previously introduced in 2003 in Lahore, Pakistan, to reduce

traffic congestion in the city center. The charge was later discontinued due to public
opposition and lack of political will. [Regus - Power Magazine | Article]
 Dynamic/Peak/Surge Pricing
• Prices vary depending on the demand at different times of the
day or calendar, changing market conditions, or the kind of
consumer being targeted.
Segmented Pricing

TYPES • Prices are set depending on consumers' willingness to pay extra

for a particular service.
Peak-User Pricing
• Charging higher fees for users who travel during peak hours.

HOT Lanes (Partial Facility Pricing)

• Variable tolls on separated lanes within a highway, such as
Express Toll Lanes or High Occupancy Toll lanes (HOT lanes).
 Cordon Area Pricing
• Charges for passing a cordon line around a city center.

Area-Wide Congestion Pricing

• Charges applied to all vehicles entering a congested area,
regardless of the specific location within the area.
TYPES
Regionwide Pricing
• Charges applied to all vehicles entering a congested region,
which may include multiple cities or areas.
Variable Vehicle Throughput
• A pricing strategy that adjusts the number of vehicles allowed
on a road or highway based on the current demand and
capacity.
CONGESTION
CHARGING PLAN SADDAR – RAWALPINDI
INTRODUCTION
Saddar is the main commercial hub of Rawalpindi Cantonment, with dense cluster of
residential and commercial buildings, major business and commercial centers, main branches
of major Pakistani banks, and residential areas of British colonial era.

It is located between the Mall road and the main railway lines . GPS coordinates of 33°
35' 55.7772'' N and 73° 3' 13.7160‘’ E. [Google Map]

It covers an area of about 5 square kilometers and has a population of around 200,000
people. [Graana, Saddar History | Blog]

Reasons for choosing Saddar as the target area for congestion charging in Rawalpindi include
high traffic density, commercial activities, and population density.
INTRODUCTION
Rawalpindi is one of the biggest and busiest cities of the country that has been experiencing
a record rise of threefold (300%) in the number of vehicles on its roads in recent five
years. [Tribune Report | April 25, 2021]

The lack of efficient public transport has led to many people opting to purchase their own
vehicles, contributing to the traffic load on the city roads.

Encroachments and the availability of rickshaws, Qingqi, and motorcycles on installments

have further worsened the traffic situation in areas like Saddar, Raja Bazaar, Kohati Bazaar,
and others.

Saddar, Rawalpindi, experiences severe traffic congestion, as evidenced by the highest

recorded air quality value of 409 ppm due to heavier traffic on congested roads. [Air Quality
Journal | Twincities, 2019)]
INTRODUCTION
The increase in the number of vehicles has not only impacted traffic flow but has also led to
a rise in air pollution, posing a significant health risk to the residents of the city.

Addressing congestion in Saddar, Rawalpindi is crucial for both economic and environmental
reasons:

a.Economically, traffic congestion leads to time delays and increased fuel consumption,
impacting productivity and business activities.
b.From an environmental perspective, the rise in vehicular emissions due to
congestion contributes to air pollution, adversely affecting the environment and public
health
Therefore, addressing traffic congestion and introducing congestion charging in Saddar,
Rawalpindi is essential to improve the overall quality of life, support economic productivity,
and mitigate environmental impacts.
 5%

31%

38%
CONGESTION
IMPACT ON
SADDAR - 26%
RAWALPINDI
OBJECTIVES

Primary Secondary

REDUCE ENHANCE PUBLIC IMPROVE AIR PROMOTE SUPPORT

TRAFFIC TRANSPORTATION QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL REVENUE
CONGESTION SUSTAINABILITY GENERATION
BENEFITS

Increased productivity
Economic
Reduced fuel consumption

Enhanced public spaces

Social
Improved quality of life

Improved air quality

Environmental
Reduced carbon emissions
CHALLENGES & CONCERNS

Fairness and Public Communication

equity acceptance and outreach

Balancing Integration with

Privacy revenue existing
Concerns generation and transportation
traffic reduction systems

Monitoring and
enforcement
FEASIBILITY STUDY
PUBLIC INITIAL REACTION
4% 7%

36%
50%
43%
60%

Aware/hear about Congestion Initial Reaction for Congestion

Charging before it? Charging Plan in Saddar –Rawalpindi
 Vehicle Count per Hour during Peak - hour

N5

TRAFFIC VOLUME Station Rd

Mall Rd

The busiest roads are N5 &

Murree, with an average of Haider Rd

over 500 & 400 vehicles Bank Rd

passing per hour during

Roads
peak times. Adamjee Rd

Kashmir Rd

Murree Rd

Motorbikes and
Rickshaws make up most
Police Station Rd

of the traffic on all roads Saddar Bazar Rd

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Vehicles passing Per Hour

Public Transport LTV Motor Car/Jeep/Taxi Rickshaw/Quiqui Motor Cycle

TIME-OF-DAY ANALYSIS
DAY-OF-WEEK VARIATIONS
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING CONGESTION

2%
High Volume of Lack of Parking
Vehicles Spaces 14%
33%
Public 11%
Poor Road
Transport
Infrastructure
Inefficiencies

39%
INTERSECTION ANALYSIS

Murree Road & Bank Road Fawara Chowk

INTERSECTION ANALYSIS

Committee Chowk Bank/Saddar Bazar Chowk

BOTTLENECK ANALYSIS
Benazir Bhutto/ Rawal Road (near
Saddar Bazaar)
• This section of Benazir Bhutto Road, particularly
near Saddar Bazaar, is identified as a bottleneck,
causing congestion due to narrow lanes and high
pedestrian and vehicular activity.

Raja Bazaar Entry Point

• The entry point to Raja Bazaar is identified as a
common bottleneck area, where traffic congestion
occurs frequently, impacting the overall flow in
Saddar, Rawalpindi.
PARKING ANALYSIS

Sarafa Bazaar Area

• On-street parking in the Sarafa Bazaar area is
observed to have a significant impact on traffic
flow, leading to congestion during peak hours in
Saddar, Rawalpindi.
Saddar Main Bazar Parking Zones
• Parking zones around the Saddar Main Bazar
contribute to congestion, especially during busy
hours, emphasizing the need for effective parking
management strategies.
 Willing to Pay Congestion Charges

Effectiveness of Congestion Charges

IMPACT  Majority of Peoples Specially Visitors are willing to pay

Congestion Charges during their visit to Saddar – Rawalpindi.
ASSESSMENT  3.64/5.00 peoples believes that congestion charging would be
the effective solution to reduce congestion in Saddar -
EFFECTIVENESS & WILLINGNESS Rawalpindi.
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

Variable
Charging
23% per
vehicle ?

77%
 27% 25%

PUBLIC 19%
29%
CONCERNS
INFRASTRUCTURE
CONGESTION CHARGING PLAN IN SADDAR - RAWALPINDI
SELECTION OF
CONGESTION
CHARGES

Cordon
Area Wide
Area
Congestion
Parking
Charges
Charges
CHARGING TECHNOLOGIES
(1) Includes cameras, sensors, and antennas

(2) Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) -

technology that use video cameras
• ANPR is a mature technology that uses cameras for vehicle identification - often mounted
on gantries or poles - to produce images of the license plates of vehicles. The image
captured is processed using optical character recognition (OCR) software, which
automatically creates a digital record of the license plate.

(3) Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) or Radio

Frequency Identification (RFID)
• (An On-Board Unit (OBU) or tag is mounted on the vehicle’s windscreen and
communicates with roadside equipment. A DSRC/RFID solution therefore requires a
gantry or pole equipped with transceivers to enable the communication with the OBU.
The transponder ID, time stamp and potentially other important information is sent to or
read by the roadside equipment.
CHARGING TECHNOLOGIES
(4) Global Navigation Satellite Systems/Cellular Networks
(GNSS/CN)

➢The on-board unit combines a GNSS location system and a

communications link, with a digital map.
➢The main advantage of GNSS/CN based systems is the flexibility.
➢the pricing policy is implemented completely through software instead of
roadside equipment and thus new roads can be easily added, removed and
changed on a daily basis if necessary
➢The downside of GNSS/CN solutions is that it is expensive and not always
geographic accurate.
➢The cost of the on-board unit is typically 10-20 times more expensive than
a tag-based solution. Also the cost of operation is more expensive as
software needs to be maintained and updates need to be distributed
INFRASTRUCTURE RECOMMENDATIONS

The key benefits of using DSRC/RFID are:

• It can make automated identification more efficient.

• Reduced operational costs.
• Low maintenance costs
• Saves time and money through automation
• Rapid payback time
• Easy to understand
• Already being used on motorways (M-Tag)
CONGESTION
CHARGING
PLAN IN
SADDAR -
RAWALPINDI
KEY ELEMENTS
Setting
Geographical
Boundaries

Garnering
Identifying
Public and
Charge
Political
Levels
Acceptance

Policy
Infrastructure Decisions:
and Charging Equity,
Technologies Exemptions,
Revenue Use
GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES
Westridge Railway Rd
Boundary Gawalmandi
Chowk
Qasim Mrkt Mareer
Chowk Chowk
Singapore Plaza

GPO Chowk

TM Chowk
Pearl
Continental
Chowk

Old Airport
Tufail Rd
Chowk
CHARGE LEVEL
Public transport vehicles are exempt. This happens mostly because of political concerns about
creating attractive public transport alternatives when congestion charging is introduced.

Motorcycles can be charged differently since they contribute less to congestion and for equity
purposes.

Cars can be charged HIGHER because they cause more congestion,

Emergency vehicles & Residents of Saddar are exempted.

Government Vehicles & Public Transport users also are exempt.

 3%
8%
33%
22%

35%

CHARGE LEVEL (EXEMPTION) [SURVEY ANALYSIS]

 Note: Charges will be 2x for Each Vehicle
CHARGE LEVEL (SURVEY RESULT) (*) except Bicycle & Public Transport
Near Special festivals/ Special Events

Charges in PKR
Vehicle
During Morning Peak Hour During Evening Peak Hour Off Peak Hours

Bicycle No Charges No Charges No Charges

Motorcycle No Charges 30* 30*

Rickshaw No Charges (School Time) 40* 40*

Car/Jeep 60* 60* 60*

LTV 60* 60* 60*

Public Transport No Charges No Charges No Charges

Hybrid Vehicles 50 50 50

When the charge levels for different periods are announced and published for a certain period in advance.
EQUITY, EXEMPTIONS & REVENUE USE
Higher charges for car users.

Exemptions for people with disabilities & Residents.

Provide an opportunity for businesses (like car mechanics) to move out by announcing
plans before implementation.
Implement Parking Fees and strict enforcement to avoid on-street parking on the
boundaries of cordon.
Provide comprehensive Public Transportation routes to Saddar from various parts of
the city.

Use Revenues for investment in Public Transportation and NMT Infrastructure.

PUBLIC & POLITICAL ACCEPTANCE
Public acceptance is a major challenge.

While existing systems have generally been accepted at once in a place, they have sometimes had
to overcome intense initial resistance.

An effective public outreach and education strategy is likely to be essential for any new system.

In Singapore, London and Stockholm officials have garnered support with extensive efforts to
demonstrate the public benefits of congestion charging.

Stockholm followed an especially dramatic course by turning off the system after a temporary trial to
demonstrate its effectiveness.
PUBLIC & POLITICAL ACCEPTANCE

Experience shows that implementation of congestion charges is

highly political. It requires political vision and stamina to lead the
process from concept to implementation.

Congestion charging can often play an important

role in reducing the negative effective of congestion while
providing environmental and other additional benefits.
CONCLUSION

It reduced travel times, improved reliability for drivers, and reduced carbon emissions.

Public have concerns about fairness and equity, technical and public acceptance
challenges, communication and outreach, design and planning, balancing revenue
generation and traffic reduction, integration with existing transportation systems, and
monitoring and enforcement
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 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351782916_Comparing_Smart_Traffic_Management_Solutions_with_
Infrastructure_Expansion_Projects_A_case_study_for_Rawalpindi_Pakistan
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330704501_Analyzing_the_Issue_of_On-
street_Parking_in_Commercial_Areas_A_Case_Study_of_the_City_of_Hyderabad_Pakistan
 https://forms.office.com/r/6A4xAMpx11