Cologne, Germany. “Congestion
is a serious problem around the
world and now the technology is here
to measure road use precisely and to
price it appropriately, to induce better
behaviour and produce more
efficient use of the roads.
“The public are also now driving
the move towards better mobility in
urban centres, whether it’s biking,
walking or public transit, they are
very comfortable using their
smartphones to guide them and this
is actually very helpful for
introducing RUC.”
Tapping into the
annoyance over traffic
jams that is harboured by the
general public, Cramton posits that
concerns over pollution have also
entered the public realm and have
been a factor in driving electric
vehicles sales could similarly be
harnessed to gather mainstream
support for RUC.
Of course, even if drivers are in
favour of tackling congestion and
pollution, the financial implications
make it a tougher sell in an age where
the gap between the haves and havenots
seems to be widening.
“Another thing about the costs of
RUC that receives the most push back
is the notion of fairness; that it would
really hurt the poor”, Cramton
explains. “I disagree with that,
because it will generate revenue that
can then subsidize public transport
which the less well-off tend to use
when not using their car – so actually
it will help the poor. The analysis
The analysis suggests
that fairness can be
addressed quite adequately, and that
the vast majority of people will actually
benefit from RUC and that
includes those less well off
Professor Peter Cramton, University of Cologne
Above: Utah’s
stunning scenery is
the backdrop for a
new per-mile pilot
Right: UDOT graphic
illustrating the falling
tax burden for more
fuel-efficient vehicles
Road User Charging |
are expensive to maintain, in an
alternative way?
Raising awareness of the funding
deficits for road care is one direction,
but there could be another angle that
would appeal.
Research carried out by
the Texas Transportation
Institute has revealed the
average driver in the US
spent 42 hours in congestion
during peak hours in 2016,
with a Los Angeles driver
sat in their car for 104 hours.
Additionally, the combined
costs of fuel and time grew
from US$42 billion in 1982 to about
US$160 billion in 2014 – almost
a threefold increase – in urban areas
and the situation is only getting worse.
A new world order
“The time is right to introduce roaduser
charging,” says Professor Peter
Cramton of the Department of
Economics at the University of
044 Traffic Technology International January/February 2020
www.TrafficTechnologyToday.com
/www.TrafficTechnologyToday.com