Increasing Potential of Road Pricing for Improved Efficiency of Urban Transportation

There are a number of factors which contribute to the continuous pressure for driving in different cities. However most serious, but often overlooked is the problem that the structure of costs of driving stimulates excessive car use. This paper presents the structure of driving costs and classifies then into user, social and environmental costs. The incidence of all these costs is discussed. The importance of using road pricing for a more effective control of the demand for car travel is shown. The paper reviews objectives of road pricing and actions for their implementation and concludes that the need for road pricing and opportunities for its applications will greatly increased in the foreseeable future.