So says Rob Goodspeed, and I couldn’t agree more. A number of writers I respect feel that this step isn’t necessary, since Washington congestion isn’t nearly as severe as it is elsewhere in the metropolitan area, and that’s true. While navigating across town during rush hour can be a slog, it’s not the unmitigated disaster that is the metropolitan highway network.

But I think it’s important to note that the justification for congestion pricing is different in the District than it is in the burbs. Pricing on highways is primarily about allowing those highways to function–about guaranteeing automobility. You use pricing in such cases to make driving work better.

In the District, congestion pricing’s primary purpose would be to make everything else work better. Congested roads, especially during rush hour, are a serious impediment to better bus transportation. They’re also a costly hassle for cabs and trucks and emergency vehicles. By pricing congestion in the city and using the revenues to support transit, the city could take a big step away from single-passenger cars as a principle transportation option, and toward a truly and effectively multi-modal transportation network.

And sure, single-passenger vehicles would get around more swiftly, as well. Fine by me, so long as they’re contributing to the public transit kitty to have the right to do so. If we want our streets and our city to work better, this really is a step we need to take.