INSTEAD OF ROAD TOLLS: ROAD PRICING FOR IMPROVED ACCESSIBILITY AND LESS POLLUTED ENVIRONMENT IN DOWNTOWN STOCKHOLM

A concrete proposal for a traffic fare system as an alternative plan to road tolls and road network investments, as provided by the so-called Dennis package, aimed at alleviating and ultimately solving traffic-related environment and accessibility problems in down town Stockholm, without recourse to new and additional thoroughfares. The report describes a scheme for day time, zone-graded, time- and journey-related charging in the town centre: a traffic fare system is thus established that produces a 35% reduction of the load on the existing road network (neither the East or West ring road would be constructed). This plan relies on a very advanced automatic debiting system (with radio sensory electronic registration of vehicle passage) which would warrant high standards of anonimity and security. To a large extent the monies would be eventually returned to the residents of the county, after funding traffic noise clearance and public transport investments.