TASK A-1: Motivations Behind Electronic Road Pricing. What is the Driving Force Behind the Worldwide Rise in Tolling? A Review of Innovative Road Pricing from Across the Globe

Abstract

The report identifies the motivations behind and objectives of specific road pricing initiatives, and to explore why such policies are becoming an increasingly popular approach to transportation finance and management. Over the past 15 years, electronic road pricing projects have appeared in a variety of forms across the globe – from the Interstate 15 High-occupancy toll (HOT) Lanes in San Diego County, to the congestion cordon pricing scheme in central London, to the German weight-distance truck toll system, to the Oregon mileage-based user fees pilot program. While the stated objectives of these projects are typically straightforward, the underlying motivations behind the turn to electronic road pricing are nuanced and varied. Accordingly, this report explores the forces behind this gathering shift in transportation policy toward electronic pricing through a series of case studies from around the globe. The information was gathered primarily through a detailed review of primary, secondary, and, when available, tertiary source documents.In each of the case studies examined for this report, we find that the status quo – that is the old system of transportation planning and finance – is in crisis. Whether the problem is insufficient revenue or choking congestion, transportation planners and policymakers around the world are struggling to keep pace with the rise in motor vehicle traffic, and the problems that such growth engenders. As with many other policy areas, technology is facilitating the development of innovative approaches to facilitating the transition from theory to reality. With respect to transportation planning and finance, we conclude that we are at a unique juncture, as the full range of possibilities for the potential of road pricing is only now being fully realized.

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