A comprehensive analysis of public perceptions for congestion charging for Colombo

Traffic congestion is a critical issue in most of the major cities around the world, causing trillions of dollars in annual economic losses. Transport planners worldwide have adopted various strategies to address traffic congestion, and among these strategies, congestion charging has proven effective. Colombo City, as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka, faces similar challenges. Despite implementing numerous traffic management strategies, none have significantly reduced congestion. This study aims to fill a gap by investigating the macro-factors influencing the establishment of a congestion charging system for private vehicles within the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) limits. It also seeks to identify preferred charging and payment mechanisms, and appropriate discounts for CMC residents. A questionnaire survey was conducted, gathering opinions from 317 respondents in the Colombo District, assessing perceptions of eleven macro-level factors that influence congestion charging. It also considered respondents' demographic information and preferences for charging mechanisms, payment methods, discounts, and charges. An ordinal regression model identified critical factors, emphasizing the importance of vehicle category, charge/fee, public transport quality and capacity, travel activity disturbances, and equity when implementing congestion charging in CMC limits. Charge based on time travel within the cordon and electronic post-payment were the most favoured charging mechanism and payment method. Respondents indicated a preferred charge of Rs. 110 for a 30-minute journey within the charging zone, with a 70% discount preferable for CMC residents.