Giving Compass' Take:

• Chris Teale reports that congestion pricing could increase equity in mobility and address climate change if the unpopular policy can be implemented. 

• Could congestion pricing improve the conditions in your area? How can public opinion be influenced on this issue? 

• Find out where in the U.S. traffic air pollution hurts children most. 

Congestion pricing has the potential to reduce both traffic and pollution in an equitable manner, but must overcome a bad reputation in the United States, experts say.

On day two of the CoMotion LA conference in Los Angeles, speakers said they can reach those goals in the transportation sector - supporting the use of congestion pricing to encourage behavior change among drivers and pay for needed improvements.

Equitable mobility 
While New York City is set to be the first U.S. city to introduce a congestion pricing model, it has also received support from other cities, with Seattle and Los Angeles studying its feasibility.

Phil Washington, CEO of LA Metro, said that congestion pricing could help with equity efforts by paying for free transit in the city, something he acknowledged is a "lofty goal," but has plenty of benefits.

"We know that if we have congestion pricing there's going to be a smoother flow of traffic and we know all these things, but free transit in the area and taking that burden away from families in terms of the expense of transportation could mean the difference between affordable housing, it could impact homelessness, it puts money back into families' pockets," Washington said in a speech.

Fighting climate change
Within the focus on equity, speakers also noted the importance of using the transportation sector as a way to cut emissions amid the dire warnings about the impacts of climate change.

The transportation sector is one of the biggest sources of pollution in cities, and Wiener said that it is in danger of "tanking our climate goals" without dramatic action. While California is ahead of schedule in decarbonizing its electric grid, land-use policies force people to drive too much because of where housing is located, and more must be done, he said.

Read the full article about congestion pricing by Chris Teale at Smart Cities Dive.