From gas taxes to congestion pricing, transportation finance is often controversial. As California plans for a number of fiscal methods to fund high-speed rail and infrastructure and limit greenhouse gas emissions, ITS research into the cost, impact, and equity of transportation finance can help state and local decision-makers craft effective policy.
Lead Scholars
Other Scholars
Donald Shoup
Distinguished Research Professor of Urban Planning
Brian Taylor
Professor of Urban Planning & ITS Director
Briefs, News, and Opinion
It’s Time to Try Congestion Pricing in L.A.
Bloomberg — 2020
Improving Transit Equity in L.A. During the Pandemic
Streetsblog LA — 2020
Column: California’s gas tax is going up again. You should be pleased
The Los Angeles Times — 2020
Cars Make Your Life More Expensive, Even If You Don’t Have One
Vice — 2020
Lessons of Los Angeles’s Transit Tax: Money Isn’t Everything
Streetsblog — 2019
What Will Be the Right Price to Cut Congestion in New York?
Wired — 2019
Congestion Pricing: N.Y. Embraced It. Will Other Clogged Cities Follow?
The New York Times — 2019
To curb traffic, cities explore implementing congestion pricing during peak hours
NBC News — 2019
Column: To beat congestion, L.A. needs to charge drivers more. But how can it be done right?
LA Times — 2019
To make transit work, does LA need to make driving harder?
Curbed — 2019
Los Angeles Passed a Historic Transit Tax. Why Isn’t It Working?
CityLab — 2019
California High-Speed Rail: A Train to Nowhere Without a Conductor
Los Angeles Times — 2018
A $100 Billion Train: The Future of California or a Boondoggle?
New York Times — 2018
Gas Tax: What Californians Actually Pay on Each Gallon of Gas
San Jose Mercury News — 2018
This Take on Congestion Pricing Might Blow Your Mind
KUOW — 2018
There’s Only One Fix for LA’s Traffic Nightmare — We All Have to Pay Up
Los Angeles Times — 2018
The Long Game on Infrastructure
U.S. News & World Report — 2018
The California Gas Tax Swap
Martin Wachs, Mark Garrett, Anne E. Brown — 2016
Selected Research Publications
Analyzing voter support for California’s local option sales taxes for transportation
Anne Brown, Jaimee Lederman, Brian D. Taylor, Martin Wachs — 2020
The Impact of ZEV Adoption on California Transportation Revenue
Martin Wachs, Hannah King, Asha Weinstein Agrawal — 2019
An Assessment of Performance Measures in the Transportation Development Act
John Gahbauer, Jaimee Lederman, Esther Huang, Martin Wachs, Juan Matute, Brian D. Taylor — 2018
Arguing over transportation sales taxes: An analysis of equity debates in transportation ballot measures
Jaimee Lederman, Anne Brown, Brian D. Taylor, Martin Wachs — 2018
Transition costs and transportation reform: The case of SFpark
Michael Manville — 2018
What motivates public support for public transit?
Michael Manville, Adam Seth Levine — 2018
Would Congestion Pricing Harm the Poor? Do Free Roads Help the Poor?
Michael Manville, Emily Goldman — 2017
Not Everything Is Broken: The Future of U.S. Transportation and Water Infrastructure Funding and Finance
Debra Knopman, Martin Wachs, Benjamin M. Miller, Scott G. Davis, Katherine Pfrommer — 2017
The California Fuel Tax Swap
Martin Wachs, Mark Garrett, Anne E. Brown — 2016
Is Rail Worth It?
Martin Wachs, Ethan Elkind — 2014
From Fuel Taxes to Mileage Fees
Martin Wachs, Ethan Elkind — 2014
Mileage-Fee Design Strategies to Reduce System Cost and Increase Public Acceptance
Paul Sorensen, Liisa Ecola, Martin Wachs — 2013
Mileage-Based User Fees for Transportation Funding: A Primer for State and Local Decisionmakers
Paul Sorensen, Liisa Ecola, Martin Wachs — 2012
Just Road Pricing
Lisa Schweitzer, Brian D. Taylor — 2010
Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Implications for Transportation Finance
Sara Hajiamiri, Martin Wachs — 2010
Recent Projects
PI: Ryan Yowell Team:
Improving first/last mile conditions near highways: An investigation of access and coordination barriers
PI: Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris Team:
Charging Infrastructure Strategies: Maximizing the Deployment and Use of Electric Drayage Trucks in Southern California
PI: "Gabrielle ""Libby"" Bradley" Team:
Regional Seismic Safety Assessment of Transportation Networks including Economic Loss Analayses
PI: Barbaros Cetiner Team:
Advancing a Mobility as a Service: Lessons Learned from Leading-Edge Public Agencies
PI: Tomoko Kanda Team:
Congestion Pricing for Climate, Capacity, or Communities?
PI: Austin Stanion Team:
Promises and Projects: Examining the Accountability and Flexibility of LOST Expenditure Plans
PI: Jaimee Lederman, Jeremy Marks Team:
SB1 Sec 48(a) ZEV Finance Research with ITS Davis
PI: Martin Wachs Team: