Traffic congestion in urban centres is a worldwide problem that very few governments or authorities have been able to tackle effectively.
Parking policies, restrictions on goods vehicles, better public transport, and traffic management are a few of the measures that have been implemented through attempts to improve traffic conditions.
Road user charging has been promoted as the answer to traffic congestion since the 1960’s. However the main obstacle to its introduction is not technology or finance, but public acceptability.
We have experience of scoping the feasibility of congestion management schemes in the UK and in Europe - including supporting the implementation of the first UK Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) in Nottingham.
Delays associated with worsening traffic congestion in and around Derby, Leicester, and Nottingham were estimated to cost the local economy over £500m each year in 2008. The six affected highway authorities collaborated to scope how different packages of demand management measures, including road user charging, might address this issue.
ITP played a major role in this £2 million project, leading the stakeholder engagement, developing charging scheme options, advising on outline system designs, appraising impacts of different congestion management strategies and preparing the final study report. Our report provided a key piece of evidence that informed the local decision not to progress further work on these concepts. Negative local public acceptability issues were considered to outweigh the anticipated benefits associated with traffic congestion reductions.
ITP worked with Mott MacDonald to examine the applicability of road user charging schemes at several UK airports as a potential way of managing on-site traffic congestion. A site-specific feasibility study was also carried out in one location to set out how an access charging scheme could be implemented.
Our role was to examine the costs and airport user issues surrounding four potential alternative charging scheme options and an assessment of the localised impacts on traffic and airport operations.
The study results fed into the decision-making process on future surface access strategies at several UK airports.
ITP undertook a strategic comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of the potential application of road user charging (RUC) and workplace parking levy (WPL) measures for Nottingham City Council. This was completed in the context of complementing and financially supporting Nottingham’s plans for extending the Nottingham tram network (NET Phase 2).
The comparison used a range of criteria and drew on evidence from studies and research on road user charging and workplace parking levies that ITP team members had previously undertaken. This included a Nottingham road user charging feasibility study conducted for the Greater Nottingham Transport Partnership and earlier research on workplace parking levy scheme implementation issues carried out for the Council.
Nottingham City Council subsequently implemented a WPL scheme, and is using the funds generated to support tram network development and other sustainable transport schemes.
