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Road congestion is a
major problem in the EU as it imposes significant costs on its economy.
The cost of congestion is a composite of lost time, extra fuel, higher
air pollution, increased risk of accidents leading to loss of life and
damage to vehicles, loss at work for the employers and wear and tear of
vehicles. This cost is estimated as the amount road users are willing to
pay to avoid congestion.
How can we avoid
congestion, shorten travel time, save fuel, reduce air pollution, and
minimize accidents without loss of private mobility? How can we manage a
network of national and European (EU25) roads that will not scar our
countryside?
Building more roads has failed to reduce
traffic congestion as road capacity needs to increase to more than
double the total traffic flow to reduce journey time.
Restricting car use in
cities on specified days leads to non-compliance as the consumer's cost
is unaffected and demand remains unsatisfied. Road use based on odd and
even numbered vehicle registration plates forces many to acquire an
extra vehicle for uninterrupted travel. Ramp metering (restricting the
flow of traffic joining a major road) and variable speed limits
responding automatically to traffic levels increase movement of existing
traffic but do not address the underlying excess demand resulting from
the under-pricing of road congestion. High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes
increase road capacity in terms of flow of passengers rather than
vehicles but they remain under-utilised restricting remaining traffic to
fewer lanes and more congestion.
Many people claim that air pollution
caused by road congestion is a cost for the whole society and so state
subsidy for a well managed network of public transport is justified.
With careful use of private entrepreneurs and industry regulators, a
subsidy per passenger for urban networks and a subsidy for fuel and
mileage for rural networks can enable transporters to improve quality,
increase frequency, enhance passenger security and guarantee services on
unprofitable routes in rural areas. It would reduce suburban cars in
cities and encourage more people to use public transport, especially if
these public services are available at late hours to transport those
visiting/returning from theatres, clubs, pubs and other places of
leisure. The public subsidy must be sufficient to enable the passenger
to travel at a cost lower than the cost of travel by car, especially for
urban passengers and for suburban-city journeys. A low train/bus fare to
cover 150Km radius from major city centres would transform the landscape
and economies of rural EU.
Road pricing increases individual utility
at the expense of public utility. It generates public revenue that can
finance public transport subsidy. Whilst toll booths, DSRC (Directional
Short Range Communications) based on microwave/ infrared technology and
a flat charge system using a cordon of cameras used by London are used
for road pricing in specific areas, a national network requires road
pricing based on
GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites working in combination with
GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and the digital mobile phone
network. The satellites monitor a vehicle’s journey and transmit data to
the driver's On-Board Unit (OBU). The OBU calculates the charge and
transmits it via the phone network for processing and billing.
Toll Collect, a consortium of DaimlerChrysler, Deutsche Telekom and
Cofiroute (manages toll systems in France), uses GPS/GPRS in Germany to
monitor and charge heavy trucks.
A satellite based
system is fairer as the charge is based on location, distance, time of
travel and type of vehicle. Whilst GPS/GPRS costs less to install for an
extensive network, the cost of installation of OBU in each vehicle is
high and needs to be subsidized until car manufacturers offer it as
standard fitting for new cars.
The EU’s acceptance of
the GPS/GPRS requires each Member State to switch over to this system by
2012. Revenue from road pricing should help eliminate/reduce road
licence fees, fuel duty/tax and provide an efficient urban/rural
transport network. Insurance companies should offer cheaper motor
insurance based on actual vehicle use. Police, ambulances and road
breakdown services should respond more efficiently.
Goodbye to bumper to
bumper driving on London’s M25 motorway! |
