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First impressions of congestion charging in Stockholm Jenny Källström, Analysis and Society division. Background update A smooth start! Technique and enforcement Car traffic From now on?. Work group meeting with CEDR’s EFC-team in Berlin 20 January 2006.
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Swedish Road Administration First impressions of congestion charging in StockholmJenny Källström, Analysis and Society division Background update A smooth start! Technique and enforcement Car traffic From now on? Work group meeting with CEDR’s EFC-team in Berlin 20 January 2006
Swedish Road Administration Congestion charge trial in Stockholm • Charges are part of the three stages Stockholm trial • Charges Jan 3 – July 31 • Single zone boundary encircling the inner city of Stockholm (34 sq.km) • The Essinge link (part of E4) not included • Each passage into and out of zone between 6.30 and 18.29 costs €1-2 • Maximum daily charge/vehicle: €6 • 18 control points • revenue back to regional public transport E4 Website: www.stockholmsforsoket.se
Swedish Road Administration Congestion charging - SRA responsibilities To procure, build and operate the system for congestion charge payment. (From roadside equipment to callcenter and payment processes. Provide information on how to pay the congestion charge.) Massive information campaign on how to pay
Swedish Road Administration Customer service – the outward image to a joint ownership E-mail, telephone, fax, letters FrontlineFact-based answers about how and why: Information, handling transponders, registration and payment issues How? Why? BackofficeComplex issues such as compensation claims, complaints, incorrect payments, reminders, re-examinations 3rd line Authority decisions: Responses from specialists/administrators City of Stockholm SRA EnforcementService National TaxBoard
Swedish Road Administration No interoperability with other Scandinavian toll schemes during the trial.
Tues Mon Sun Sat Fri Wed Wed Monday Tuesday Thurs Swedish Road Administration Payment within five daysafter the passage- vehicle owner liable to tax 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Calendar: Internet bank 7-Eleven Pressbyrån Passage Giro SRA account Autogiro
Swedish Road Administration Congestion charging – a smooth start! Technique and enforcement: • Technical system works well • Procedures: a lot OK, some need further developement • Major problem with business payment solutions due to car ownership structure, but solution on its way • Customer service deals more with solving problems than expected at this time • Amount of transponders: approx. 400 000 distributed so far • Identification • OBU: 50 % • OCR: 45 % • MCR: 5 % (lower manual administration than expected) • Only about 1000 car/day are not identified → high reliability • Exemptions: 15 % • Tax decisions: approx. 100 000/day (increasing) • Revenue: € 250 000/day (increasing, expected total during trial: € 40-50 milj) • Soft transition → reminders for the first week intentionally not sent out until now (otherwise payment within 5 days) • 200 appeals so far
Swedish Road Administration Congestion charging – a smooth start! cont. • Turbulent preparation • Preparation time half of what is usually needed; late take over by SRA and lawsuits • Transponders: late orders from public, problems with autogiro • Integrity: camera monitoring, internet, protected identities • Payment: short time (5 days) • Stolen registration signs • Staff: 700-800 people • Budget: SRA €190 milj + other Stockholm trial stages € 190 milj = € 380 milj
Swedish Road Administration Congestion charging – a smooth start! cont. • Traffic effects – ”where did the traffic go?” • Large reduction of traffic into and out of zone: passages approx. 25 % down during charging hours compared to autumn average: • Low traffic season and holidays • Changed travel patterns due to congestion charges • More traffic before and after charging hours. • Increased demand for links outside of zone. So far so good – no major congestion or delays in travel time (low traffic season). With increasing traffic during spring problems can arise – esp. at Southern tunnel link. • Some cars park before control points if tax is about to be lowered or free… • Only small increase in travel demand for public transport so far → • At the moment quite a few travels are probably cancelled → we will just have to wait and see how travel patterns stabilize throughout the trial.
Swedish Road Administration Estimated effects on car traffic
Swedish Road Administration Passages to and from the inner city Mon-Fri 24 h Comparison value Congestion charging starts
Swedish Road Administration From now on? • Fine tuning of technical system, enforcement and staff • The system will be challenged; increasing nr of transactions, people against the scheme etc. • Tax legal disputes • Impacts monitoring → summarized in a report in early summer 2006. • Intense debate • Scheme scrutinized → SRA seeks openness • Referendum in Stockholm city September 17, 2006 • If system is permanented: • possible to make means of payment more customer friendly? • use of revenues? • interoperability?