EU project looks to transport policy in cities
Options for urban transport pricing policy are to be jointly tackled by eight European cities taking part in Progress, a Fifth Framework project, recently launched in Bristol, UK. Rome, Trondheim, Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Genoa, Gothenburg and Helsinki together with the project co-ordinator, Bristol, will spend the next four years developing and implementing a range of road pricing concepts and technologies 'to demonstrate the effectiveness and acceptance of integrated urban transport pricing schemes to achieve transport goals and raise revenue'. The partners will work closely with a number of key groups, including transport authorities, public transport operators and research institutes and consultancies, in order to develop and assess the political, economic and social framework surrounding urban transport pricing. 'The key to success in this field is to explore public opinion and to design schemes which will serve the needs of business and residents,' said Councillor Helen Holland, Executive Member for the Environment, Transport and Leisure at Bristol City Council. 'The public need to see the benefits in real terms - better public transport and a cleaner, safer environment. We welcome the involvement of Progress as it is taking very positive steps to tackle these issues.' Several cities will look specifically at aligning road pricing tariff structures and payment methods with those of public transport and parking in a bid to achieve a more realistic distribution of the environmental and social costs. Other sites will concentrate on developing linked systems for payment of tolls, public transport fares, parking costs and other local goods and services. The project also aims to develop good practice in electronic road pricing equipment and concepts. These will be presented as a series of guidelines and recommendations on implementing and exploiting transport pricing systems aimed at policy makers and project officers, with a view to developing a common policy across Europe. The developments within each of the cities will be monitored and evaluated by a team of European experts as part of their role in the European Transport Pricing Initiative (CUPID).