High technology methods of road pricing are beginning to reach the stage of implementation world-wide, although some authorities are proceeding more cautiously, using both a high speed electronic system and manned tollgates. The paper reviews the main differences between high technology and low systems in terms of precision in regulating congestion, the risks entailed if any new scheme has to be aborted, due to technical problems or political resistance, scope for evasion of the tolls by an unsympathetic public, or by wrongly claimed exemptions from charging, and user confidence. A sceptical public may wish to keep the option of making single cash purchases if it has anything less than total confidence in contactless smart cards. There are variations in attitudes towards road pricing in different cultures and even between different countries within Europe. The paper considers the various influences upon government policy formulation and will attempt to draw conclusions from world-wide examples as to whether a low technology plan is a necessary stage before the introduction of an advanced technology road pricing scheme.
Abstract