AREA WIDE TRAFFIC DEMAND MANAGEMENT BY ROAD PRICING

Abstract

Cities and governments spent a tremendous amount of money to ease traffic congestion, but the problems are yet unsolved. The difficulties are well-known: increase of costs and time spent on travelling in cities; noise nuisance, air pollution, vibration; increase of urban accident rates; deforming land use patterns. Recent research suggests to apply some form of Road Pricing as an important tool among many others to manage demand on motorized traffic. Road Pricing may be effective as it reduces costs of traffic; regulates and reduces car use in peak hours and pricing contributes to maintaining better environmental and living conditions in city centres. Road Pricing system should be included within a comprehensive Land Use and Transport Policy. Car ownership in Budapest will double to about 400 cars/l000 inhabitants within 30 years. It seems clear that some regulation and restriction on car use cannot be avoided. Simultaneous, coordinated elements of traffic demand management in Budapest may be the following: land use policy: development of public transport; area wide traffic control and route guidance systems: parking policy; other instruments and Road Pricing as a major tool to manage demand for car traffic. There are several reasonable solutions how to locate charging stations in Budapest. In the far future it seems necessary to charge drivers entering the city area within the M0 circular motorway. In the first phase outer cordon may be established in line of 'Hungarian Ringroad' after its southern end with 'Lágymányosi Bridge' across the River Danube will have been completed. On the 'Buda' side cordon can be put on the ring road (that cannot be so complete as on the 'Pest' side), and additional charging stations can be located on the Danube Bridges. This preliminary suggestion must be controlled and changed by results of precise and detailed application of traffic models, and interdisciplinary preparation.