Sustainability in European Transport Policy by Humphreys Matthew;

Author:Humphreys, Matthew;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Environmental Studies & Management
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2010-11-19T00:00:00+00:00

Norway: Trondheim, Bergen and Oslo

The use of tolls to fund road construction has been used in Norway for over half a century although the past 20 years has seen as increase in reliance on the schemes. Funds from the projects form the main source of finance for infrastructure investments and to a certain extent public transport programmes.64 Toll revenues are supplemented by additional governmental funds; however, on average 30 per cent of the total annual state budget for road construction comes from both urban and motorway toll revenues.65 The first Norwegian urban toll ring was established in Bergen in 1986 to raise funds to accelerate the implementation of a wide range of transport investments.66 Since then, other cities across Norway have adopted this approach, namely Oslo, Trondheim, Stavanger and Kristiansand.

The Bergen toll ring was unique at its point of implementation not only because it was the first Norwegian urban toll scheme, but also because it involved the smallest area, lowest number of toll booths and traditionally the lowest gross revenue of the three biggest Norwegian urban toll schemes.67 Toll stations were placed on all the main access roads leading to the centre of the city. All vehicles entering the tolled area between 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, apart from buses, paid the fee. The fee was 5 NOK ($0.84) for cars and 10 NOK ($1.6) for trucks until 1999 when they were doubled. In 2004, the fee was increased to 15 NOK ($2.4) for cars and 30 NOK ($4.8) for trucks, per crossing. Prepaid tickets and monthly, bi-annual and annual permits were also available, at a slightly discounted rate.68 The scheme was more successful than envisaged, raising twice the revenue planned, of which 70 per cent went towards road construction, 20 per cent for operating costs and the remaining 10 per cent was put aside in a fund, the use of which attracted much heated debate.69 In February 2004, a new Electronic Toll Collection system (ETC) was introduced, which connects with an on-board unit (OBU) mounted in each vehicle, which identifies itself to the system at each entry point to the zone. The system, AutoPass, had already been in place in Trondheim and Oslo since 1991.

The Bergen toll was intended to cease in 2001, but the city developed a new programme for transportation and development, and the toll was therefore retained. The new programme reflected a shift in planning and saw 55 per cent of toll revenues go towards city centre ‘environmental’ improvements. Furthermore, new legislation was brought in to allow toll revenues to be put towards a variety of purposes including the funding of public transport and subsidising tickets. The toll itself was not intended to affect overall traffic levels in the city centre, and traffic management instead was carried out by controlling the amount and cost of parking spaces, which were priced at 10–20 times that of the toll.70

In 1990, Oslo also introduced a toll ring system with the ambition of generating funds to enlarge road capacity.

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