Topic outline
- General
- Unit 1: Introduction
Unit 1: Introduction
As traffic congestion from personal motorised vehicles continues to increase in urban areas, cities are turning to road charging as an effective solution. Road user charging addresses problems such as congested road networks, environmental issues, traffic management and funding challenges for urban infrastructure. This course explains what can be achieved with road user charging, and touches on design, revenue, costs, equity issues and stakeholders, with examples from a number of case studies.
- Unit 2: Background and context
Unit 2: Background and context
Although road user charging is similar to tolling, there are several fundamental differences as well as distinct benefits of implementing various forms of urban road user charging.
- Unit 3: Theoretical background and the Stockholm Congestion Charging
Unit 3: Theoretical background and the Stockholm Congestion Charging
In order to understand the drivers and benefits of congestion charging, it’s important to understand the topic’s theoretical underpinnings. This unit gives some background information, and then goes into more detail about the case of the congestion charge implemented in Stockholm.
- Unit 4: Technology
Unit 4: Technology
Well-designed technology can provide greater flexibility in design choices, e.g. by enabling complex charging schemes and overcoming equity concerns by permitting varying charges and exemptions for different types of users.
- Unit 5: Benefits and costs
Unit 5: Benefits and costs
For any transport management project, it’s important to understand the potential costs and benefits of its implementation. This is especially true when it comes to road user charging, which is sometimes met with public resistance (at least initially), but which has the potential for great environmental and social benefits.
- Unit 6: Users, stakeholders & decision makers
Unit 6: Users, stakeholders & decision makers
The users, stakeholders and decision makers must all be involved in the processes of planning, evaluating and periodically re-evaluating the road user charging scheme. Particularly during the planning and initial implementation, political leadership is a highly influential factor for the project’s success. This unit explains the value that each of these essential groups adds to a road user charging proposal.
- Unit 7: International experience
Unit 7: International experience
Over the past several decades, urban road user charging schemes have been implemented around the world in a wide array of urban contexts, with many positive outcomes. This unit lists some notable examples, and then digs deeper into two European examples.
- Unit 8: Conclusion
Unit 8: Conclusion
What have you learned and what else can you learn from the TIDE project?