Urban Congestion Charging Acceptability: An International Comparative Study

Abstract

The congestion charging scheme is regarded as a successful measure to reduce traffic-related problems. However, low general acceptability of the public for implementing such a scheme is a barrier against its success. In this research, an online pre-designed survey was conducted in five capitals (Budapest, Tunis, Amman, Ulaanbaatar, and Damascus) to define the factors that affect congestion charging acceptability the most. The results of relationships between the studied factors like travel behavior and acceptance of the congestion charging scheme show an irregular pattern in each city. It indicates that the identity of each city and its general policy implications determine which factors significantly affect the public acceptability of congestion charging scheme. In Amman and Budapest, most of the predictors have no statistical effect on the schemes’ public acceptability. Consistent with previous researches, on the other hand, the results demonstrate that the schemes’ effectiveness is crucial and affects the acceptability significantly in all cities. At the same time, it shows that the “prior scheme knowledge” factor has a significant direct effect on the acceptability level in three cities (Damascus, Tunis, and Ulaanbaatar).