Travel Demand Management and Road User Pricing

Throughout the world, traffic levels are increasing and, in urban areas, these increasing levels have led to pressures on the road network which are causing serious economic, environmental and social problems. Many past policies have failed to deal adequately with these problems, including the traditional approach of forecasting vehicle usage and building more roads to accommodate this. It is now widely accepted that unrestrained demand for travel by car cannot be sustained and measures to address congestion have therefore shifted from the concept of 'predict and provide' to 'predict and manage'. These measures are known as travel demand management (TDM). TDM is a set of policies with the primary objective of influencing travel behavior of individuals through restrictions on private vehicle use and ownership and the provision of various travel alternatives. Road-user charging is one such TDM policy, but there are many others which can also be adopted. This book examines the full range of 'push and pull' TDM measures, including regulatory, pricing, planning and persuasive policies to encourage individuals to make their trips in off-peak periods, by a different mode or to find another way of carrying out the trip purpose. Applying such measures can result in a more efficient transport system, improved environmental conditions and improvements in safety as well as revenue generation for use on alternative transport systems. The editors conclude with a summary of findings within the book and suggestions for best future practice.