Skip to main content

Global perspective on the acceptability of road pricing

As part of its activities, the UK RAC Foundation (Royal Automobile Association) has published a research report, 'The Acceptability of Road Pricing' by Dr John Walker, which shows that paying for roads as you use them is common across the globe and that a significant number of schemes in operation have met a broad range of objectives without being prohibitively expensive. They have also been largely technically successful and once in place tend to gain public acceptance and support.
May 16, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
RSSAs part of its activities, the UK 4961 RAC Foundation (Royal Automobile Association) has published a research report, ‘The Acceptability of Road Pricing’ by Dr John Walker, which shows that paying for roads as you use them is common across the globe and that a significant number of schemes in operation have met a broad range of objectives without being prohibitively expensive. They have also been largely technically successful and once in place tend to gain public acceptance and support.

As the Foundation points out, it is accepted in professional and academic circles that a different approach will be needed in the future to manage worsening congestion and the reduction in fuel duty revenues that will come from the adoption of greener and more fuel efficient vehicles. It is for this reason that the report was commissioned as a contribution towards keeping the debate alive, for the benefit of any Government that might turn to this solution in the future.

The 152 page report is available at this link.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Car to car communications a step closer
    December 14, 2012
    Vehicle manufacturers have targeted 2015 for the first cars to roll off European assembly lines fitted with operational V2X technology. They and their partners in the Car 2 Car Communications Consortium are confident of meeting the target, reports Jon Masters. Around three years from now vehicles should be appearing in showrooms boasting the capability of communicating with each other. Manufacturers will have started fitting the first proprietary car-to-car driver-aid safety devices and deployment of ‘vehic
  • EV sales stalling in the UK
    April 17, 2012
    The number of electric cars sold in the UK has fallen by over 50 per cent to just 215 in the first three months of the year despite Government incentives, according to figures from the RAC Foundation.Since 1 January, individuals and businesses have been able to claim a discount of up to £5,000 (US$8,193) on cars producing 75 g CO2/km or less under the Government’s Plug-In Car Grant scheme. A total of 680 cars have been purchased under the programme, taking the number of electric cars registered in the UK to
  • Managed motorways, hard shoulder running aids safety, saves time
    January 30, 2012
    The announcement that, in 2012/13, work to extend Managed Motorways to Junctions 5-8 of the M6 near Birmingham in the West Midlands is scheduled to start marks the next step for the UK's hard shoulder running concept, first introduced on the M42 in 2006. The M6 scheme is in fact one of several announced; over the next few years work will start on applying Managed Motorways to various sections of the M1, M25 London Orbital, M60 and M62. According to Paul Unwin, senior project manager with the Highways Agency
  • Priority for safety and interoperability, need for DSRC
    July 18, 2012
    Justin McNew, Chief Technology Officer, Kapsch TrafficCom Inc., USA offers his opinion of where 5.9GHz DSRC technology will head in the coming years. The debate ranges back and forth over the most suitable technological solution for future tolling and charging in the US. However, the coming trend is common cooperative infrastructure: instrumented roads and vehicles with the capacity to communicate with each other over all manner of safety, mobility and traveller applications, many of which will involve fina