A graceful approach to transport pricing
Maintaining sustainable transport systems requires transport pricing methods which reveal the cost of infrastructure use. Existing knowledge of marginal costs for road, rail and water borne transport had left many gaps. The GRACE project undertook the challenge of transport pricing reform in an ever-growing European economy. Successful transport pricing reform to allow for the cost of infrastructure is considered a complex task as highlighted in the White Paper. To begin, cross-modal research on calculation of costs was necessary in order for fair support of current European legislation. Since policy makers and the public should be aware of the benefits of pricing, real life demonstration projects were conducted. This enabled the handling of both technical and socio-economic issues which can arise and pose problems. The researchers divided the task according to cost estimation and charge calculation, accounts and monitoring of price reforms, price complexity and socio-economic impacts. Beyond that, road and rail modes were analysed separately from port, inland waterways and airports and grouped into case studies. This provided more substantial examples of each mode of transport infrastructure. Thanks to the development of an accessible software tool, external costs can be approximated in a realistic way according to the situation. Several key findings will contribute to transport pricing reform in a realistic and fair manner.
