Challenges of Road Pricing

As traffic clogs road networks and grinds urban centers to a stop, business and the quality of life is eroded by lost time, extended work days, safety hazards, health issues, environmental impacts and noise. Travel demand management (or Congestion Charging, or Electronic Road Pricing) has been identified as one means to address this problem but has been the last option for policy makers. While there is a growing number of cities around the world - Singapore, London, Florence, Stockholm and Auckland - that are implementing systems or studies to implement Traveler Demand Management, there is a strong correlation between the objectives and the possible technologies that could be employed. Technology systems employed range from video capture to use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and combinations in-between. This paper addresses policy issues and the impact of technology on the implementation of that policy. The Paper addresses each of these issues and draws the linkages to the technology options available today to implement the various policy objectives of Travel Demand Management. The author will use recent programs in London, Austria and Germany as examples of where the linkages and connections between policy and technology have been properly introduced to match the distinctive needs of each program. The paper provides a thought-provoking guide for other possible demand management implementations around the world.