2026 Climate and Energy Finance Conference, Madrid (España). 25-27 mayo 2026
Resumen:
While congestion pricing has been widely implemented, empirical evidence on price elasticities remains limited and often relies on discrete policy changes or low-frequency data, which constrain identification. Moreover, there is virtually no econometric evidence on demand elasticity in managed lanes in interurban environments with time-of-day-varying tolls. Using high-frequency hourly data from two major California corridors, we estimate demand elasticity within a panel regression framework that exploits variation in tolls across routes, hours, and days of the week. This approach allows us to identify short-run demand responses from continuous within-sample price variation, overcoming key limitations in the existing literature. We also analyze how responsiveness evolves over time, capturing medium-run behavioral adjustments. Our results provide new evidence on user price sensitivity in managed lanes settings and contribute to a more robust understanding of congestion pricing as a demand management tool. The findings have implications for the design and evaluation of pricing policies, particularly in assessing whether such schemes effectively mitigate congestion or primarily redistribute traffic.
Resumen divulgativo:
Este estudio analiza la sensibilidad de los usuarios a las tarifas por congestión en carreteras de California. Los resultados ayudan a evaluar si estos esquemas reducen la congestión o simplemente redistribuyen el tráfico.
Palabras clave: Congestion pricing, demand elasticity, managed lanes, time-of-day pricing
Fecha de publicación: 25-may-2026
Cita:
N. Collado, P. Linares, J.M. Labeaga, "Do users respond to congestion pricing? Evidence on demand elasticity from managed lanes", presentado en 2026 Climate and Energy Finance Conference, Madrid, España, 25-27 mayo 2026
IIT-26-084C
