Japanese Democrats toll-free policy to boost CO2 by a third, take passengers off rail, airplanes

Japan's transport department estimates that ending tolls on Japan's expressways, as proposed by the the incoming Democrat Party of Yukio Hatoyama, will increase car use for trips of 200km (124 miles) or more by 58% and cause rail passenger travel in the country to decline 11% and air travel to drop by 4%.

They estimate carbon dioxide emissions will rise by about a third.

This creates a problem for a party which pledged in their election campaign to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% by 2020.

More mundanely the abolition of tolls would add hugely to government budgetary problems.

Japan's tolls are some $20b/year. (CHECK)

The Democrats show some signs of trying, sensibly, to backtrack from their de-toll promises.

A leading spokesmen has said the new government won't eliminate tolls where to do so would cause congestion - which will be most places in Japan except the 'pork pikes' built in remote areas that generate little toll revenue anyway.

NOMENCLATURE: formally the agency is translated in British english as Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. We reserve the term 'ministry' for religious entities, and it is our practice not to use longwinded formal titles. It just encourages obfuscatory pomposity - editor.

TOLLROADSnews 2009-09-16