Changing Travel Behavior: Punishment vs. Reward

Being in the business of finding ways to change travel behavior, I have dabbled in both reward and punishment. Charging for parking as a tool to get employees not to park in on-street spaces is a form of punishment, while giving out iPods to those who carpool a certain number of days each month is a reward. I have never thought that one might be more effective than the other until I read Eric Jaffe's piece, "Should We Pay People to Drive Off Peak," in Atlantic Cites Place Matters.

He writes about a group of researchers led by Taede Tillema of the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands, who recently designed a study to compare the effects of congestion pricing (punishment) to a Dutch program called "Spitsmijden," or "peak avoidance" (reward).

"In an upcoming issue of the journal Transport Policy, Tillema and colleagues report that a reward system like "Spitsmijden" may indeed be more effective than punishments."

The researchers combined data from a previous study and a previous survey and found that paying people not to drive during peak times changed behavior 37% of the time, whereas boosting tolls during peak times changes behavior only 15% of the time. A nagging question, as the author points out, is if paying people not to drive during peak times works best, who will pay them?

How a snow storm affects an auto-free commute

For a guy who gave up his car at the beginning of the year, the snow and ice that has shut down Atlanta this entire week was a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because getting in a car means taking your life in your hands. Unlike cities that get lots of snow every winter, Atlanta simply isn't equipped to scrape and salt even the major roads.
It was a curse because the walk to MARTA today in 18 degree temperatures on icy sidewalks was treacherous. Bus service was shut down for two days, and is gradually ramping back up. The rail lines are running with moderate delays. My commute has taken a bit longer than normal, but not drastically.
One of the silver linings to this event is that I have noticed a lot of new walking and MARTA commuters. It confirms my belief that the best way to get people out of their cars and to drive less is a major event, whether man made (the 1996 Olympics) or natural (snow storm). Here are some great links from the 2011 Winter Ice Storm. Enjoy!

Hot Trends Sparked by Snow Storms: People Walking in Streets to Destinations, Creative Loafing, Atlanta.

Peachtree Street Ice Rink in Midtown, Vimeo.