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This is an odd proposal coming from a blog that often complains of overly-complex pricing for Metro trips.

In order for this surcharge pricing to work properly you can't just grab a number out of your bum like 75 cents or $1. It needs to be based on price elasticity. That is, what is the marginal cost that most people would decline to pay at rush hour?

And just like how highway tolls force car drivers on to crowded residential streets, a surcharged station will force bikes to neighboring non-surcharged stations. What are you going to do when the neighboring non-high-demand station is full, and the next closest station is a surcharged high-demand station? Not charge someone the fee because they asked for more time to find the nearest non-surcharge station? More complexity for what used to be a simple system!

And BTW, I too would quit the program. Or I'd lobby the Fed to subsidize my bike transit like they do my subway trips, thus rendering the surcharge ineffective while sucking away tax dollars.

by OX4 on Jun 6, 2011 2:58 pm • link • report