Do you run into traffic jams everyday driving to and back from work? Ted.com recently released a talk by Jonas Eliasson who explained how charging a small fee for driving during rush hours can dramatically reduce travel time.

Basis of the study:

• Eliasson and his team started charging 1-2 euros each day for driving during rush hours
• 20% fewer vehicles on the road the next day
• Traffic and number of vehicles are non-linear so a 20% drop resulted in far faster travel time
• Roads went from bumper to bumper to nearly empty
• 40% of citizens were against the fee initially but 70% had a change of heart once the roads opened up