Road charges

Put simply, this means drivers pay for their road usage and the related environmental damage. This can be done through road tolls, rush-hour charges or perhaps a congestion charge. An important objective for road charges is to influence the time at which cars drive on the busiest roads, in order to limit queuing which leads to greater CO2 emissions. Road charges are used in many places. For example, a rush-hour charge that varies from 0 to 20 kroner has proved effective in Stockholm where it has reduced the number of vehicles passing each day by 22 percent. In London, a congestion charge has encouraged more people to use public transportation, improved traffic flow, and reduced vehicle emissions.

It is important that a good public transportation system is in place before road charges are introduced. Without a good alternative it is difficult to gain an environmental benefit from the system. But research and experience shows that a good public transportation system on its own is not enough to lead to a significant reduction in car use. To gain a real environmental effect requires a significant upgrading of public transportation combined with a financial mechanism, i.e. a tax to discourage use of the private car.