Route guidance and road pricing—problems, practicalities and possibilities

Abstract

Electronic route guidance and road pricing are not necessarily the ultimate solutions to present day traffic problems. On the contrary, they may well create new problems if not properly introduced; the final result could be very disappointing indeed. In this paper we will show that the key to success with these systems lies in the acceptability by the general public. We make a case for public operation for both the road pricing system and the route guidance system. The importance of environmental issues in network definition and the compensation strategy is emphasized. Finally, we indicate that the combined introduction of route guidance and road pricing (which tackle supply and demand respectively) might lead to a synergy, with maximum profits to the system as a whole.