00474888

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org...trr/1987/1107/1107-009.pdf

https://scholar.google.co...TTON&publication_year=1987

Historically tolls played a significant role in financing the development of roads in the United Kingdom, but, with the exception of a limited number of estuarial crossings, they have now fallen into disuse. This paper is concerned with two issues. First, the role that tolls played in the early growth of the road system is discussed and lessons that may be learned from this are considered. Second, current official policy with respect to existing tolled facilities is examined. Attention is particularly focused on the financial problems that have arisen because of the presently favored "accountancy" approach to tolling and cost recovery. Some evidence is also offered that there are effects on industrial location and traffic patterns when only specific links in the road network are subjected to tolls. The main conclusion of this work, which itself stems from a much larger study of the tolling of estuarial crossings in the United Kingdom, is that there are serious problems in initiating ill-thought-out toll policies. Although on first-best economic principles there is a logical case for charging the road user the relevant costs of the infrastructure provided, and doing it in such a way that the user is fully cognizant of the resource costs involved in each journey, in a world where annual taxation and other less direct means of road user charges abound it is difficult to devise the appropriate second-best pricing rules on which tolls should be based. Simply "tacking" tolled facilities on to an existing road network is seen to be potentially distortive.

Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Application of Economic Analysis to Transportation Problems. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

01418063

pp 55-64

1987

Transportation Research Record

0309044553

Print

Figures (1) ; Maps (2) ; References (15) ; Tables (7)

Costs; Financing; Policy analysis; Toll roads; Travel budgets

Highway economics

Road user costs

United Kingdom

Economics; Finance; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

TRIS, TRB

Oct 31 1987 12:00AM

• A CLOSER LOOK AT IMPACT FEES
• AN ECONOMIC ARGUMENT FOR PRIVATIZATION OF HIGHWAY OWNERSHIP
• ARTERIAL ROAD FUNDING FOR SOUTHEASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY: EQUITY BASED ON TRAFFIC IMPACT
• ECONOMIC ARGUMENTS ON TOLL ROADS
• ELECTRONIC ROAD PRICING IN HONG KONG: AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ROAD PRIVATIZATION?
• FINANCING, PRIVATE-SECTOR INVOLVEMENT, AND MARKET PROCESSES IN THE PROVISION OF NATIONAL ROADS IN SOUTH AFRICA
• IMPACT FEE ASSESSMENT USING HIGHWAY COST ALLOCATION METHODS
• INTRAURBAN ROAD PRIVATIZATION
• KEY FEATURES OF PRIVATIZATION FINANCING
• NEW THINKING ON PRIVATE-SECTOR TOLL ROADS IN INDIA: RATIONALE AND ISSUES
• OVERVIEW OF TOLL FINANCING IN COUNTRIES THAT ARE MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT
• PHASING IN THE USER-PAYS CONCEPT ON URBAN FREEWAYS: THE PRIVATIZATION STRATEGY
• PRIVATE ENTERPRISE AND HIGHWAYS
• PRIVATE-SECTOR INVOLVEMENT AND TOLL ROAD FINANCING IN THE PROVISION OF HIGHWAYS - OPENING REMARKS
• PRIVATE-SECTOR INVOLVEMENT IN VIRGINIA'S NINETEENTH-CENTURY TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
• PRIVATE-SECTOR ROADWAY FUNDING IN TEXAS
• PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COOPERATION IN THE PROVISION OF NATIONAL FOREST ROADS
• PUBLIC-PRIVATE INVOLVEMENT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROADWAYS AND INTERCHANGES IN COLORADO
• SOME FINANCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL POLICY ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH TOLL FINANCE
• TECHNOLOGY AND THE HEAVY-VEHICLE ELECTRONIC LICENSE PLATE PROGRAM: POTENTIAL USES FOR GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY
• THE TOLL RING IN BERGEN, NORWAY