This article looks at the successful trial of a congestion charging scheme in the city of Stockholm, Sweden, and the plans to make the scheme permanent, from the viewpoint of the project director . The permanent system will use only automatic number plate recognition for enforcement, although residents of the island of Lidingo, which voted against the permanent installation, will be given on-board units to allow non-charged access. Accuracy of identification will be improved and it remains important to enable free flow of traffic. Only domestically registered vehicles will be affected, as the current traffic register can be used, in order to keep costs down. A reduction in traffic is expected, with an increase in public transport use. Public acceptance of the scheme has improved, following an information campaign and active user support.
Abstract