Efficiency versus Acceptability: Balancing Behavioural Effectiveness and Public Support in Urban Tolling

This presentation summarises new evidence on toll acceptability from surveys in Vienna and Riga and administrative data from Sweden, conducted within the international research project TollsThatWork. The findings challenge several common assumptions in both the empirical and theoretical literature. First, only a small share of individuals are strongly affected by tolls, and these are not necessarily those who oppose them. Second, neither direct personal costs and benefits nor the possibility of avoiding tolls explain acceptance to the degree often assumed. Instead, attitudes and ideology are stronger predictors. Generic indicators of potential affectedness (e.g., car use) remain significant but have limited explanatory power.

Peer and her colleagues also identify relatively small groups of consistent supporters and opponents of tolls, while the majority's support of tolls depends on policy design, including toll levels, effectiveness (travel time savings), revenue recycling, and complementary measures. These findings underline the importance of carefully designing tolling schemes by balancing effectiveness and acceptability.

Bitte beachten Sie, dass dieses Seminar aufgezeichnet und in digitaler Form veröffentlicht wird.