D11 (NRP 41) - Road Pricing: concepts and acceptability
Overview
Background & policy context:
The NRP 41 was launched by the Federal Council at the end of 1995 to improve the scientific basis on which Switzerland's traffic problems might be solved, taking into account the growing interconnection with Europe, ecological limits, and economic and social needs.
The NRP 41 aimed to become a think-tank for sustainable transport policy. Each one of the 54 projects belongs to one of the following six modules:
- A Mobility: Socio-institutional Aspects
- B Mobility: Socio-economical Aspects
- C Environment: Tools and Models for Impact Assessments
- D Political and Economic Strategies and Prerequisites
- E Traffic Management: Potentials and Impacts
- F Technologies: Potentials and Impacts
- M Materials
- S Synthesis Projects
Objectives:
'PRIMA' (acronym for Pricing Measures Acceptance) is an EU project researching the acceptance of road pricing. It is supported in Switzerland amongst others by the Federal Office for Education and Science and the National Research Programme 41. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = 'urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office' />
The objective of this international project is to investigate acceptance or rejection of road pricing in urban regions and to use the results for the preparation of policy recommendations and guidelines with regard to the introduction of road pricing in conurbations.
Urban regions already practising or planning some form of road pricing, or committing themselves to other efficient means to traffic guidance, are used as case studies. Cities were selected to enable comparisons to be made between different types and phases of road pricing implementation.
The PRIMA research work addressing the Swiss situation explicitly includes the national dimension as well: motorway charges, kilometre fees.
Methodology:
Besides a theoretical analysis of issues regarding the acceptance of road pricing, the research project also involves an empirical investigation of urban regions, as well as an evaluation of technical/operational and economic and social aspects and, finally, suggestions for possible solutions with particular emphasis on Bern and Zurich.
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