Description
This engineering PDH online course presents the findings of a team of American transportation specialists who visited foreign countries (Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Singapore) to identify road pricing practices (various user fees and tolls) that might be used to advantage in the United States. The team found road pricing methods that can be highly effective in managing demand and generating revenue and can also be politically and publicly acceptable. Pricing programs have reduced congestion on facilities and in priced areas, improved use of existing road capacity, created new travel alternatives to driving, and achieved the goals of demand management, emission reduction, and revenue generation. Revenues from pricing have been used to provide funding for multi modal transportation improvements. The team also observed road pricing methods that might be strongly resisted if implemented in the U.S., for example, Singapore’s taxes and fees on acquisition of a new car raise the cost to three or four times the dealer’s price.
This course is based on Report No. FHWA-PL-10-030, “Reducing Congestion and Funding Transportation Using Road Pricing In Europe and Singapore,” written by Robert Arnold, et al, December, 2010, and sponsored by the Office of International Programs, the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials under contract No. DTFH61-99-C-005.
- Congestion, cordon, and environmental pricing
- Distance-based, facility-based, and zone-based charges
- HOT lane, road pricing, and tolling
- Political and policy considerations
- Planning and performance measurement
- Procurement
- Operations and enforcement
- Outreach and public acceptance