Congestion Cost and Congestion Pricing in Urban Traffic

The report presents estimates of the external congestion costs for different periods and trip patterns in the Oslo-region and Trondheim. The magnitude of possible social benefits from congestion pricing is also estimated for the Oslo-region. It is clearly evident that peak period congestion costs exceed the present toll rates by a substantial amount. We cannot expect that congestion pricing will be a popular measure. However, opinion polls in Trondheim and Oslo show that people’s attitude towards pricing schemes becomes more positive as they gain experience with them.