Stockholm central area toll restart to be camera based

Stockholm's central area toll is due to be restarted August 1 and it will rely mainly on cameras. A bill introduced in the Swedish parliament by the four-party coalition government provides for reinstatement of tolls at the 18 entry points to the central area, as during the seven month trial in 2006.

Toll schedules and rates will remain the same in the 35 sq km (14 sq mile) central area. Charges will be incurred based on passes (entries and exits) under 18 different open road gantries on ramps and roads leading into (and out of) the central area during specified hours.

Changes to be made include:
- abandonment of the transponders used for 50% of transactions during the trial and nearly full reliance on cameras and automatic license plate recognition
- use of transponders for vehicles with exemptions from the toll, especially residents of Lidingo, an island only connected to the central area
- income and corporate tax deductibility of tolls
- reduced penalties for late payment from $75 (Kr500) to $30 (Kr200) and maximum penalty of $300 (Kr2k) per vehicle per month
- 14 days to pay
- study of monthly bills
- automatic debit of tolls for those who establish an account
- hybrid vehicles exempt for 5 years
- taxis and some other previously exempt vehicles now to be tolled
- all net revenues dedicated to roads

License plate readers worked so well during the trial - about half reads were by transponder, half by cameras - the main technology for the tolling will be cameras, eliminating the need to manage a large inventory of transponders.

Payment of tolls is up to motorists. They must log onto the toll website and make payment by bank card or stop by to pay cash at a counter at participating central area supermarkets, 7-11s and suchlike. New will be an automatic debit option for those establishing a toll account, providing their license plate number, car make and a bank account or card to debit.

Prime contractor for the setup and operations of the new toll will be IBM, which was also contractor for the trials. They gained praise for the smooth operations and good customer service throughout.

Trial background

The congestion toll trial ran Jan 3 to July 31 2006. Traffic as measured by volume of vehicles entering or leaving the central area cordon 0630-1830 weekdays fell by 22%. On a 24 hour basis the drop was 19% or 100k entries and exits (passes).

Congestion was also substantially reduced on approach roads, remained about the same on belt routes, and increased on expressways on the edges of the central area expressways - 5% on the the north south E5 Essingeleden motorway and 19% on the east-west underground Sodra Lanken (Southern Link).

Reduction in private cars was 30%, trucks 10%.

Queueing times on the inner city approaches were reduced by a third in the morning peak and by half in the afternoon peak.

About a million person trips of the 4m in the Stockholm region involve trips through, into, or out of the central congestion charge zone. 69% are now by transit, 26% by car, a slight shift to transit.

Car trips declined about 100k/day, while transit use increased by about 40k, a rise of 6% of which 4% was attributed to the toll. There was no discernible increase in carpooling. Most of the decline seems to be consolidation of car trips, in which activities previously undertaken with separate trips have been consolidated into one trip.

There is no indication of reduced business in the central area. Retail sales in the central area remained about the same proportion of regional sales.

Tailpipe emissions in the central area were estimated to be down 14%, 2 to 3% in the Stockholm region.

No statistically significant change in car accidents was found.

Net social benefit of the project on a permanent basis is estimated at $115m/yr (Kr765m) or a payoff of all costs after four years.

On a trial basis the central area toll was in operation for 150 days and cordon crossings or passes averaged 310k/day. Average tolls/day were $4.20 (Kr28).

Charges were $1.50 (Kr10 @6.7=$1), $2.25 (Kr15), and $3.00 (Kr20) as shown in the toll schedule per pass through the cordon, so the average suburban commuter will pay for two passes per day. Busy drivers making multiple passes through the cordon pay a max $9 per vehicle per day (Kr60). There is no charge for driving around wholly within the Stockholm toll zone as in London or planned for New York City, causing it to be defined as a cordon toll rather than an area toll.

A non-binding popular ballot was held Sept 17 2006 in conjunction with national elections on whether to reinstate the toll on a permanent basis. A slim majority voted in favor. A new center-right government decided to reinstate the toll and gained motorist support by dedicating all the toll profits to improved roads. The new government has dropped plans for an expensive new rail line expected to require large annual subsidies.

As a result of a Swedish high court decision over whether the city or the state had jurisdiction the toll is formally called a 'tax' in Sweden. Initiated by the city which only has power to levy charges (like tolls) but not taxes - a common constitutional situation in European countries - the court ruled the state had jurisdiction and it was a 'tax.'

However in English usage this is a misnomer since the term 'toll' applies to all charges for the use of roads or road facilities such as bridges and tunnels.

see http://www.stockholmsforsoket.se - the website has english

TOLLROADSnews 2007-05-06