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Title: PRIVATE ENTERPRISE AND HIGHWAYS
Accession Number: 00474898
Record Type: Component
Availability: Find a library where document is available Abstract: In the activities required to create a highway--identification, promotion, land acquisition, design and construction, operation, maintenance--there is a spectrum of possibilities for involvement of the private sector and market processes. The current position in the United Kingdom is described and on that basis, with some wider generalization, future possibilities are analyzed. Highway maintenance is progressively moving to the private sector. There appears to be no reason why most of the maintenance program for main roads could not be delegated to the private sector. A preferred method is outlined. For highways generally, statutory position limits the degree of market provision. It is argued that Parliament would not generally provide powers of compulsory acquisition of homes to private enterprise. Hence the market alone cannot be expected to provide new roads. Some possibilities for the government and the private sector acting together so that the latter could become more involved in highways are explored. An experiment with private funding that was finally declined by government is described. It is argued that this experiment was not necessarily representative and that further trials should take place. Estuarial and river crossings, about which public attitudes appear to be different, provide much scope for privatization. Government would underwrite the requisite statutory powers and could call for bids for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the project. The bids would effectively be the tolls required by the bidder, to be collected either directly from users or from the government on the basis of vehicle counts. The Channel Tunnel and the Dartford Crossing of the Thames are examples.
Supplemental Notes: 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.
Monograph Accession #: 01418063
Authors: Goldstein, AlfredPagination: pp 106-111
Publication Date: 1987
Serial: ISBN: 0309044553
Media Type: Print
Features: References
(5)
TRT Terms: Subject Areas: Economics; Finance; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning
Files: TRIS, TRB
Created Date: Oct 31 1987 12:00AM
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