ELECTRONIC ROAD PRICING IN HONG KONG: THE PILOT STAGE

Abstract

A high level of car ownership in Hong Kong has resulted in severe traffic congestion problems despite a continuing programme of capital-intensive road and mass transit construction. As government action to restrain vehicle ownership has proved unsatisfactory, a means of restricting vehicle usage such as road pricing is being advocated. Electronic road pricing (ERP) is the most selective of road pricing systems as, for example, it does not require a blanket charge to enter a defined area covered by a supplementary licence scheme, nor need it create the associated effects in time and space. The effect of ERP is to impose, as selectively as possible, a small charge that makes the marginal road user consider the need to make a particular journey at a given time. The system designed for Hong Kong will require every vehicle to be fitted with a physical number plate as well as an electronic version mounted underneath the vehicle. The pilot stage of the project now planned requires co-ordinated action to include transport engineering, traffic planning, road system engineering and legislation. The article describes the operation and installation of the proposed system for Hong Kong. (TRRL)

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