Dutch Road Pricing Trial
Client
Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, the Netherlands
Project Title
Research on the Accuracy and Reliability of Distance-based Measurement and Determination of Tariff for Kilometre Pricing (KMP)
Background
The Dutch government had been developing ideas for a national road pricing scheme as a tool to alleviate congestion by encouraging behavioural change. By early 2007, they had developed 24 requirements for KMP.
Aim
The overall aim of this research project was to investigate the feasibility of a subset of these requirements by designing and running a series of on-road technology trials. This would generate evidence and inform government policy to enable the introduction of a distance-based charging scheme for all motor vehicles in the Netherlands.
Objectives
- To establish the accuracy and reliability of satellite systems for KMP - a national time, distance, place (TDP) road pricing scheme in the Netherlands.
- To use the outcomes of the technology performance trials to provide input to the development of tariff zones for an eventual national road pricing scheme.
- To consult with technology suppliers to establish unit costs and their ideas for scheme implementation.
- To use the outcomes of the technology performance trials to provide input to the development of certification processes for an eventual national road pricing scheme.
What we did
11 suppliers of satellite-based on-board units (OBUs) providing a range of hardware and software innovations and solutions were selected for on-road trials on the basis of an objective assessment of their responses to a questionnaire. A mix of prototype and more established technologies were selected, some of which were dedicated road pricing solutions, while others were adapted vehicle tracking solutions.
Three identical test vehicles were each fitted with highly accurate location and distance measurement equipment (to generate 'truth' data based on actual vehicle trajectories, rather than relying on data from pre-surveyed routes) and three or four OBUs under test.
A schedule of seven test routes was developed which was both representative of overall driving behaviour and contained features and conditions expected to challenge the technologies in terms of distance and location (and hence charging) accuracy, with a view to developing an understanding of how innovations in OBU design and operation cope with these features and behaviours.
The routes, tests and analysis were designed to create equally challenging situations for all envisaged technologies and thus not favour one particular technique over other approaches. The test vehicles were driven around the test routes in convoy, over a period of four weeks. Each route was repeated a number of times to ensure the results were statistically significant, with each test vehicle covering approximately 5000 km.
TRL led the project, providing technical specialists in GNSS and mapping, trials planners and analysts, operations experts, data and test analysts, and project management.
Outcome
The research evidence suggested that GPS-based road pricing technologies were sufficiently accurate, reliable and cost-effective to support the Netherlands' desire to introduce the first national (all roads, all vehicles) GPS-based road charging system (based on time, place and distance driven). This evidence enabled the Dutch cabinet to proceed with implementation, the first stage of which was to implement alterations to vehicle taxation law.
Technologies Involved
If you're interested in learning more about the topics covered in this section, or you can't find what you're looking for and would like to talk to someone in detail about a specific topic, please complete the enquiry form at the foot of this page - one of our experts will contact you as soon as possible.
