SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is proposing road tolls for downtown streets as part of a broader initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Durkan provided few specifics on the tolling proposal but said at news conference Wednesday that the city’s transportation department is studying possible congestion pricing strategies to ease traffic through the downtown core.
A tolling proposal would likely have to go to the city council and to voters as an initiative.
Similar toll systems are in place in big cities such as London, Stockholm and Singapore. New York has explored the idea for years, but prospects have dimmed in recent weeks for its latest proposal.
Durkan says Seattle needs to get more cars off city streets, make public transit and other alternatives more accessible and reduce the city’s reliance on fossil fuels.