The problems caused by traffic will pose a major challenge in the future. The costs of private transport are staggering for both the environment and for people, particularly those in cities. Noise pollution, dust, air pollution and area of public space it takes up are all contributors. A large portion of the external costs (around €149 billion annually) caused by transport is from road traffic – €141 billion. But the effects of toll systems can also be quantified: Stockholm, for example, reduced inner-city traffic by 22% by introducing a congestion zone. This also saw traffic-related pollution of noise and toxic substances decrease on almost all roads.
Mobility pricing can be a push factor for promoting behavioral changes and accelerate sustainable mobility. It can also make it possible to share external costs fairly. However, change takes time. Infrastructure projects take time and behavior doesn’t change overnight. That’s why we need solutions today that will set standards for the future.
For major transformations in the energy and mobility sectors, the technology must be ready, and from this perspective, the prerequisites for the mobility transition are all already in place.
The technical facilities for road tolling are ready. Mobility pricing can already be adapted to specific challenges and conditions. What is particularly important here is that road tolling and control must function without interfering the flow of traffic (free-flow).
Video tolling, global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based toll collection (via smartphone for example), and dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) tags / radio frequency identification (RFID) tags can all be used for “on-the-go” road tolling too.