IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecotra/v19y2019ic1.html

Estimating the social cost of congestion using the bottleneck model

Author

Listed:
  • Kim, Jinwon

Abstract

This paper uses the bottleneck model of Vickrey (1969) to empirically measure the social cost of traffic congestion in the US. Using a detailed trip-level data, we estimate extra travel time over and above hypothetical free-flow travel time, which we call “queuing time”, for each average commute trip. The estimated individual queuing time implies that the annual cost of congestion borne by all US commuters is about 29 billion dollars. We find that a higher level of congestion in a city may be attributed to a smaller per capita road stock in the city. This paper also empirically quantifies a toll that depends both on the commuter's arrival time and trip distance.

Suggested Citation

  • Kim, Jinwon, 2019. "Estimating the social cost of congestion using the bottleneck model," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 1-1.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecotra:v:19:y:2019:i:c:1
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecotra.2019.100119
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212012218301151
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecotra.2019.100119?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tseng, Yin-Yen & Verhoef, Erik T., 2008. "Value of time by time of day: A stated-preference study," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 42(7-8), pages 607-618, August.
    2. van den Berg, Vincent & Verhoef, Erik T., 2011. "Winning or losing from dynamic bottleneck congestion pricing?: The distributional effects of road pricing with heterogeneity in values of time and schedule delay," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(7-8), pages 983-992, August.
    3. Mogens Fosgerau & Kenneth A. Small, 2012. "Marginal Congestion Cost on a Dynamic Expressway Network," Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, University of Bath, vol. 46(3), pages 431-450, September.
    4. Joshua D. Angrist & Jörn-Steffen Pischke, 2009. "Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 8769, December.
    5. Gary Solon & Steven J. Haider & Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, 2015. "What Are We Weighting For?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 50(2), pages 301-316.
    6. Fosgerau, Mogens & de Palma, André, 2012. "Congestion in a city with a central bottleneck," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(3), pages 269-277.
    7. Brueckner, Jan K., 2011. "Lectures on Urban Economics," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262016362, December.
    8. Arnott, Richard & de Palma, Andre & Lindsey, Robin, 1990. "Economics of a bottleneck," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 111-130, January.
    9. Edward L. Glaeser & Matthew E. Kahn, 2001. "Decentralized Employment and the Transformation of the American City," Harvard Institute of Economic Research Working Papers 1912, Harvard - Institute of Economic Research.
    10. Geroliminis, Nikolas & Daganzo, Carlos F., 2008. "Existence of urban-scale macroscopic fundamental diagrams: Some experimental findings," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 42(9), pages 759-770, November.
    11. Jonathan D. Hall, 2017. "Improving the fit of structural models of congestion," Working Papers tecipa-590, University of Toronto, Department of Economics.
    12. Wardman, Mark, 0. "A review of British evidence on time and service quality valuations," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(2-3), pages 107-128, April.
    13. Daganzo, Carlos F., 1994. "The cell transmission model: A dynamic representation of highway traffic consistent with the hydrodynamic theory," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 269-287, August.
    14. Fosgerau, Mogens & Kim, Jinwon & Ranjan, Abhishek, 2018. "Vickrey meets Alonso: Commute scheduling and congestion in a monocentric city," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 40-53.
    15. Kim, Jinwon & Brownstone, David, 2013. "The impact of residential density on vehicle usage and fuel consumption: Evidence from national samples," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 196-206.
    16. van den Berg, Vincent & Verhoef, Erik T., 2011. "Winning or losing from dynamic bottleneck congestion pricing?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(7), pages 983-992.
    17. Hall, Jonathan D., 2018. "Pareto improvements from Lexus Lanes: The effects of pricing a portion of the lanes on congested highways," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 113-125.
    18. Kenneth A. Small & Clifford Winston & Jia Yan, 2005. "Uncovering the Distribution of Motorists' Preferences for Travel Time and Reliability," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 73(4), pages 1367-1382, July.
    19. Henderson, J. V., 1974. "Road congestion : A reconsideration of pricing theory," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 1(3), pages 346-365, July.
    20. Takayama, Yuki & Kuwahara, Masao, 2017. "Bottleneck congestion and residential location of heterogeneous commuters," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 65-79.
    21. Arnott, Richard & de Palma, Andre & Lindsey, Robin, 1993. "A Structural Model of Peak-Period Congestion: A Traffic Bottleneck with Elastic Demand," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(1), pages 161-179, March.
    22. Muhammad Sabir & Jos Ommeren & Mark Koetse & Piet Rietveld, 2011. "Adverse Weather and Commuting Speed," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 701-712, December.
    23. Gilles Duranton & Matthew A. Turner, 2011. "The Fundamental Law of Road Congestion: Evidence from US Cities," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(6), pages 2616-2652, October.
    24. Fosgerau, Mogens & Kim, Jinwon, 2019. "Commuting and land use in a city with bottlenecks: Theory and evidence," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 182-204.
    25. Vickrey, William S, 1969. "Congestion Theory and Transport Investment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 59(2), pages 251-260, May.
    26. Small, Kenneth A, 1982. "The Scheduling of Consumer Activities: Work Trips," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 72(3), pages 467-479, June.
    27. Wilson, Paul W., 1988. "Wage variation resulting from staggered work hours," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 9-26, July.
    28. Dewees, Donald N, 1979. "Estimating the Time Costs of Highway Congestion," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 47(6), pages 1499-1512, November.
    29. Akbar, Prottoy & Duranton, Gilles, 2017. "Measuring the Cost of Congestion in Highly Congested City: Bogotá," Research Department working papers 1028, CAF Development Bank Of Latinamerica.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Li, Zhi-Chun & Huang, Hai-Jun & Yang, Hai, 2020. "Fifty years of the bottleneck model: A bibliometric review and future research directions," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 311-342.
    2. Jinwon Kim & Jucheol Moon & Dongyun Yang, 2024. "Pigouvian Congestion Tolls and the Welfare Gain: Estimates for California Freeways," Working Papers 2402, Nam Duck-Woo Economic Research Institute, Sogang University (Former Research Institute for Market Economy).
    3. Raghu Bir Bista & Surendra Paneru, 2021. "Does Road Traffic Congestion Increase Fuel Consumption of Households in Kathmandu City?," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 3(2), pages 67-79.
    4. Witsarut Achariyaviriya & Yoshitsugu Hayashi & Hiroyuki Takeshita & Masanobu Kii & Varameth Vichiensan & Thanaruk Theeramunkong, 2021. "Can Space–Time Shifting of Activities and Travels Mitigate Hyper-Congestion in an Emerging Megacity, Bangkok? Effects on Quality of Life and CO 2 Emission," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-19, June.
    5. Bi, Hui & Ye, Zhirui & Zhao, Jiahui & Chen, Enhui, 2020. "Real trip costs: Modelling intangible costs of urban online car-hailing in Haikou," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 128-140.
    6. Fosgerau, Mogens & Kim, Jinwon, 2019. "Commuting and land use in a city with bottlenecks: Theory and evidence," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 182-204.
    7. Qiu, Feng & Tong, Qingmeng, 2021. "A spatial difference-in-differences approach to evaluate the impact of light rail transit on property values," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    8. Kapatsila, Bogdan & Collins, Damian & Grisé, Emily, 2024. "Assessing mode-specific transport affordability in a car-centric city," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    9. Tscharaktschiew, Stefan & Reimann, Felix, 2021. "On employer-paid parking and parking (cash-out) policy: A formal synthesis of different perspectives," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 499-516.
    10. Jinwon Kim & Jucheol Moon, 2022. "Congestion Costs and Scheduling Preferences of Car Commuters in California: Estimates Using Big Data," Working Papers 2201, Nam Duck-Woo Economic Research Institute, Sogang University (Former Research Institute for Market Economy).
    11. Kim, Jinwon, 2022. "Does roadwork improve road speed? Evidence from urban freeways in California," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kenneth Small, 2015. "The Bottleneck Model: An Assessment and Interpretation," Working Papers 141506, University of California-Irvine, Department of Economics.
    2. Li, Zhi-Chun & Huang, Hai-Jun & Yang, Hai, 2020. "Fifty years of the bottleneck model: A bibliometric review and future research directions," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 311-342.
    3. Takayama, Yuki, 2020. "Who gains and who loses from congestion pricing in a monocentric city with a bottleneck?," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 24(C).
    4. Small, Kenneth A., 2015. "The bottleneck model: An assessment and interpretation," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 4(1), pages 110-117.
    5. Takayama, Yuki, 2018. "Time-varying congestion tolling and urban spatial structure," MPRA Paper 89896, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Jinwon Kim & Jucheol Moon, 2022. "Congestion Costs and Scheduling Preferences of Car Commuters in California: Estimates Using Big Data," Working Papers 2201, Nam Duck-Woo Economic Research Institute, Sogang University (Former Research Institute for Market Economy).
    7. Takayama, Yuki & Kuwahara, Masao, 2017. "Bottleneck congestion and residential location of heterogeneous commuters," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 65-79.
    8. Russo, Antonio & Adler, Martin W. & Liberini, Federica & van Ommeren, Jos N., 2021. "Welfare losses of road congestion: Evidence from Rome," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    9. Fosgerau, Mogens & Kim, Jinwon, 2019. "Commuting and land use in a city with bottlenecks: Theory and evidence," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 182-204.
    10. Li, Zhi-Chun & Lam, William H.K. & Wong, S.C., 2017. "Step tolling in an activity-based bottleneck model," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 306-334.
    11. André de Palma & Zhi-Chun Li & De-Ping Yu, 2023. "An analytical model for residential location choices of heterogeneous households in a monocentric city with stochastic bottleneck congestion," Thema Working Papers 2023-01, THEMA (Théorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), CY Cergy-Paris University, ESSEC and CNRS.
    12. Hall, Jonathan D., 2018. "Pareto improvements from Lexus Lanes: The effects of pricing a portion of the lanes on congested highways," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 113-125.
    13. Zhu, Tingting & Li, Yao & Long, Jiancheng, 2022. "Departure time choice equilibrium and tolling strategies for a bottleneck with continuous scheduling preference," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    14. Konagane, Joji & Kono, Tatsuhito, 2021. "Heterogeneous Households’ Choices of Departure Time and Residential Location in a Multiple-origin Single-destination Rail System: Market Equilibrium and the First-best Solution," MPRA Paper 108507, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Mogens Fosgerau & André de Palma & Anders Karlstrom & Kenneth A. Small, 2012. "Trip timing and scheduling preferences," Working Papers hal-00742267, HAL.
    16. Durrmeyer, Isis & Martinez, Nicolas, 2022. "The Welfare Consequences of Urban Traffic Regulations," TSE Working Papers 22-1378, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Dec 2024.
    17. Carrion, Carlos & Levinson, David, 2012. "Value of travel time reliability: A review of current evidence," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 720-741.
    18. Anderson, Michael L. & Davis, Lucas W., 2020. "An empirical test of hypercongestion in highway bottlenecks," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    19. Chen, Hongyu & Liu, Yang & Nie, Yu (Marco), 2015. "Solving the step-tolled bottleneck model with general user heterogeneity," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 210-229.
    20. André de Palma & Mogens Fosgerau, 2011. "Dynamic Traffic Modeling," Chapters, in: André de Palma & Robin Lindsey & Emile Quinet & Roger Vickerman (ed.), A Handbook of Transport Economics, chapter 9, Edward Elgar Publishing.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • R4 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics
    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • D6 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecotra:v:19:y:2019:i:c:1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecotra .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.