ITS, UK, Road Pricing in a Sustainable Society

University of Leeds9th November 2006

Dr Charles MusselwhiteSenior Research Fellow

Centre for Transport & Society,University of the West of England, Bristol

Improving Public Acceptability of Road Pricing

Overview

Background

9 ways to increase acceptability

Variations over time

Current project– Gearing Up Model– Methodology

Conclusions

Background: Scope of Review DfT 2004 – National Road Pricing Feasibility

Study

Extensive Literature Review

200+ research reports, journal papers, conference papers – attitudes and acceptability

Updated 2006 DfT Public Acceptability of Road Pricing

Where possible, drivers already reduce effects of congestion– Choose route– Choose time of departure– Comfort

Definition of “reduce congestion”– Subjective nature of defining congestion– What constitutes a “reduction”?– Visibility of a reduction/communicating a reduction– What if it doesn’t?

W-H

Reduce congestion

Part of an overall traffic plan

Other traffic and transport improvements– Public transport– Parking– Planning– Businesses– Schools

Thinking wider– Society

The need for alternatives

Ability to alter time– Flexibility

Alternative route– Free or cheaper

Alternative transport– Reliability– Cost

Revenue application made specific

Revenue neutrality

Offset tax– Petrol– Road

Hypothecate funds– Public transport– Road building

Visibility and timing

Simplicity

Design

Technology

Payment Options

Variability verses Predictability

FairnessConcessions/free

High Mileage Drivers

Taxis

Business Users

Key Workers

Older people (aged 65 years & over)

Income based

Residents

Disabled DriversMost Agreement

Least Agreement

Communications Involve public and other stakeholders from the start

– Know the philosophy/aims/objectives

Benchmarking– Going beyond statistics

Role of champions

Participatory consultation– Dynamic consultation– Role of new technology

Trials

Pioneers

Trust in Delivery Local authority responsibility

Everybody’s responsibility

Trust in deliverer– Reliability– Price Creep– Relationship and communications

Trust is low– Local authority– Central government– Private company

Trust in technology Usability

Reliability– Minimum personal error– Maximise payment evasion

Aesthetics

Privacy– Tracking– Already being watched– Nothing to hide

Variation over time Intra-personally

– Hats

Inter-personally– Between individuals– Groups of

individuals– Categorisation

Chronologically

New idea, no

justification

Public support

Time

Sufficient support to go

ahead

Increasing support for

general idea

Fall-off as detail emerges

Panic just before implementation

Build up of support as

benefits appear

The Gearing-Up Model

Public acceptability of…

a problem needing to be solved

the need for demand management

the need for some form of road pricing

the specific road pricing scheme proposed

Stage 1 – stakeholder/expert priorities/guidance

Follow-up telephone calls

Roundtable workshop – 1 day

Stage 2 – sticking points and the national debate

Wave 1 groups (8 x 6) – Problem to be solved

Wave 2 groups (8 x 6) – Demand Management

Stage 4 – quantitative research

Baseline survey

Tracking survey 1

Tracking survey 2

Dissemination event(s)

Stage 3 – local context and increasing information

Wave 3 groups (5 x 6) – Local congestion

Wave 4 groups (5 x 6) – Local scheme design

Wave 5 groups (5 x 6) – Local scheme design

Wave 6 groups (5 x 6) – Local scheme design

Follow-up depth interviews

Conclusions Communications

– Education, knowledge– Message and messenger– Benchmarking and

leading– A role for technology?

Trust– Delivery– Technology

Illusion of freedom– “Natural” congestion

and “artificial” constraint

Psychology of choice– Already perform

congestion compensatory behaviour

– How much more room for manoeuvre?

– Why, so much resistance?

Principle verses specifics– Increasing role for

technology

Thanks for Listening

Further information

Dr Charles Musselwhite

Senior Research Fellow

Centre for Transport and Society

University of West of England

Charles.Musselwhite@uwe.ac.uk

0117 32 83010

www.transport.uwe.ac.uk

Acknowledgements: CTS, UWE: Professor Glenn Lyons and Professor Phil Goodwin.

Independent Advisor: Alan Wenban-Smith.

BMRB: Anna Sweeting and Vanessa Stone