In Egypt, several rural roads are operating with toll charging. In this research, a simulation model is developed and used to compute toll rates that financially cover the costs of these roads or that are additionally equivalent to the benefits enjoyed by road users. A case study of the first and most vital toll road in Egypt, namely the Cairo Alexandria desert road, is considered. Several methodological steps are followed in this research. First, costs of maintenance and operation are estimated. This is followed by estimating the generalized cost of using this road as well as of using the alternative untolled route, namely Cairo Alexandria agriculture road. Generalized costs would include the vehicle operating costs, time costs and tolls for both roads. The expected difference in the generalized costs is considered as a benefit for road users using the Cairo-Alexandria desert road. Data is then compiled to estimate the Annual Average Daily Traffic by type of vehicle on these roads. Two toll rates per kilometer for each type of vehicle are then computed. The first is the breakeven toll rate i.e. the rate that is expected to cover the financial costs incurred by the responsible road agency. The second toll rate is the financially viable toll rate, which is expected to charge users in addition to the costs they cause by driving on the road, a compensation for the benefits they enjoy compared to the alternative road. Based on the suggested toll rates, revenues are computed. These are compared with the low currently collected revenues. For the covering abstract see ITRD E126595.
Abstract