Browsing by Subject "Road pricing"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Congestion / Road Pricing Study: Metropolitan Area of Minneapolis and St. Paul
    (1994-06) Wilbur Smith Associates
    This report summarizes the results of a preliminary feasibility assessment of congestion/road pricing in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The study was authorized under a contract with the Metropolitan Council; with funding and administrative guidance provided jointly by representatives of the Council, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the University of Minnesota's Center for Transportation Studies. The study addressed the general viability of congestion and/or road pricing concepts. The principal differences between the two concepts lie in the method and scope of application and the primary motivation for implementation. Congestion pricing, in the classical sense, is aimed explicitly at demand management which might involve relatively high levels of toll charges in more concentrated, congested areas. Road pricing would typically represent a more broadly applied user fee, in which both demand management and revenue generation are key objectives.
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    Developing ITS to Serve Diverse Populations
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2006-11) Douma, Frank
    In 2003, the State and Local Policy Program (SLPP) at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs began research into how Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies can be used to deliver transportation services to an increasingly diverse population in Minnesota. The research objective was to identify the nature of the gap between the emerging needs and existing services, and to propose ways of using technology to bridge the gap, both in terms of providing better transportation options and in reducing the cost of these options. Using the information obtained from emerging demographic data, the 2003 study focused on identifying transportation challenges and opportunities for several different populations, with a particular focus on those that do not or cannot drive. This project continues this general theme through a series of analyses of ITS applications that appear most promising to improve mobility and access for Minnesota's increasingly diverse population. These applications include technologically advanced Community-Based Transit, Car Sharing, use of ITS to implement Value Pricing through conversion of an HOV lane to a High-Occupancy/Toll (HOT) lane, and evaluation of web-based Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS).
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    I-394 Phase II Planning Study
    (Center for Transportation Studies, 2010-07) Munnich, Lee W. Jr.; Buckeye, Kenneth
    The I-394 MnPASS Phase II Planning Study was a multi-agency collaboration that evaluated four major study elements and their relationships in a congestion priced urban corridor. These included transit, land use, infrastructure and telecommuting. A foundation for this work was the understanding that high-cost capacity expansions were not likely to occur in the corridor for 25 to 30 years despite forecasts of increasing congestion that may threaten efficiency gains achieved with conversion of the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to high- occupancy toll (HOT) lane operation. Recommendations identified in this study are being used to guide investments in corridor facilities and services by transportation authorities and will also be used by communities adjacent to the corridor. Transit supportive land use recommendations, if implemented, can help ensure that a high level of service is maintained in the corridor for all users. While specific funding for implementation of these recommendations was not identified prior to the planning process, several compelling transit, land use and telecommuting recommendations are currently being advanced for programming. This project is a valuable case study and potential model for linking land use, transit, telecommuting and congestion pricing in a high-demand urban corridor.
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    Minnesota Value Pricing Outreach and Education
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2006-10) Munnich, Lee Jr; Patterson, Tyler
    The State and Local Policy Program (SLPP) of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) and the Metropolitan Council originally designed a project that envisioned extensive research, outreach, and education activities leading to identification and support for a demonstration project by the end of the three year project period. With early acceptance and support for the I-394 MnPASS project by the Governor and Legislature, the Humphrey Institute in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration revised the project to focus on research, outreach, and education activities focused specifically on the I-394 MnPASS project. The major findings of this project are detailed in the summary and supported by the appendices. The appendices include multiple papers submitted to the Transportation Research Board, final reports from the first two waves of the longitudinal panel survey, the community task force report, and an information booklet designed to quickly educate lawmakers.
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    A Model for Optimizing Electronic Toll Collection Systems
    (Pergamon, 2003) Levinson, David M
    This paper examines the deployment of electronic toll collection (ETC) and develops a model to maximize social welfare associated with a toll plaza. A payment choice model estimates the share of traffic using ETC as a function of delay, price, and a fixed cost of acquiring the in-vehicle transponder. Delay in turn depends on the relative number of ETC and Manual Collection Lanes. Price depends on the discount given to users of the ETC Lanes. The fixed cost of acquiring the transponder (not simply a monetary cost, but also the effort involved in signing up for the program) is a key factor in the model. Once a traveler acquires the transponder, the cost of choosing ETC in the future declines significantly. Welfare depends on the market share of ETC, and includes delay and gasoline consumption, toll collection costs, and social costs such as air pollution. This work examines the best combination of ETC Lanes and toll discount to maximize welfare. Too many ETC lanes cause excessive delay to non-equipped users. Too high a discount costs the highway agency revenue needed to operate the facility. The model is applied to California¹s Carquinez Bridge, and recommendations are made concerning the number of dedicated ETC lanes and the appropriate ETC discount.
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    Potential Benefits of Mileage-Based User Fees to the Freight Industry and Industry Concerns
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2012-08) Robinson, Ferrol O.; Coyle, David D.; McCullough, Gerard J.
    The concept of funding surface transportation infrastructure through fees charged on miles driven has been receiving growing attention from transportation professionals and researchers in recent years. Highway funding in the United States has traditionally been done through user fees, most notably motor vehicle fuel taxes. However, there are growing concerns among some policymakers that fuel taxes no longer serve as an adequate, sustainable, efficient, nor equitable user fee. Recognizing the problems that arise when surface transportation is funded through motor fuel taxes, several entities, both in the United States and abroad, have conducted pilot projects or have implemented mileage-based fees. Several of these have been specifically designed for heavy trucks. There are two major concerns related to truck travel: (1) heavy trucks consume a great deal of roadway capacity due to their size, operating characteristics, and annual miles traveled; and (2) roadway wear and tear caused by the combination of truck mileage and heavy loads is significant and disproportionate to the number of trucks on the road. The concept of mileage-based user fees has seen increasing support from a number of groups in recent years; however, it faces opposition from many in the general public, and in particular from the trucking industry – which largely objects to this approach to funding transportation. This paper is part of a larger effort exploring the benefits to the freight industry of mileage-based user fees, while highlighting industry concerns over its implementation.
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    Technology Enabling Near-Term Nationwide Implementation of Distance Based Road User Fees
    (University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies, 2009-06) Donath, Max; Gorjestani, Alec; Shankwitz, Craig; Hoglund, Richard; Arpin, Eddie; Cheng, PiMing; Menon, Arvind; Newstrom, Bryan
    This report describes a system meant for near-term deployment that directly determines the distance traveled by a vehicle and uses this as a basis for charging a fee that reflects road use. An in-vehicle device with access to the vehicle data bus and power through a single standard connector available on all passenger vehicles since 1996, electronically calculates the distance and then securely communicates relevant information to a “back office” for processing and transferring accumulated fees from the user to the appropriate government jurisdiction. Also described are means for providing payment (and receiving credit for motor fuel use taxes paid at the pump) while also ensuring compliance, enforcement, transparency and privacy. Communication is via text messaging, available wherever cellular service is accessible. No new wireless infrastructure is needed. The in-vehicle device distinguishes distance traveled by state or by other regions of interest e.g., rural vs. urban areas, using the same cellular technology that is used for communications. Aggregating distance based on rural vs. urban travel can facilitate different pricing policies for these different road users. Neither a GPS receiver nor longitude/latitude position data is necessary. However, higher resolution position sensing can be added to the core platform as needed based on policy objectives, e.g., to consider alternate pricing for specific road facilities.