Premium Essay

To What Extent Is Road User Charging the Best Solution to the Negative Externalities Caused by Congestion?

In:

Submitted By Kknowley
Words 889
Pages 4
The process of road user charging consists of direct charges levied for the use of roads, upon road users in defined areas and stretches of road, at a flat-rate. It is designed to increase the private cost of using private vehicles within areas where congestion is highest, therefore reducing the amount of congestion and negative externalities associated with it. Congestion occurs when the volume of traffic is greater than the operating capacity of the road and produces negative externalities, which are costs that are suffered by a third party above those felt privately.

Where road pricing excels as a solution to congestion, above methods of flat taxation, is in its targeting of users who specifically add to congestion. Whereas other methods are blunt in their blanket approach to car ownership, road pricing specifically targets road usage. Therefore it acts as a true cost of the use drivers make of the road network, often penalising those who can afford it and leaving other options open to those who can’t. Some forms of road user charge are more precise than others, for example the Electronic Road Pricing Scheme in Singapore, which utilises variable pricing based on congestion levels and time of day, to fully apply the cost of congestion to the private motorist. In doing so, it improves awareness of the external cost involved when deciding to travel on a particular stretch of road, as evidenced by Singapore having one of the highest per capita incomes in Asia, but fewer than 30% of Singaporean households owning cars (given that cars are often considered luxury goods and demand should rise in times of prosperity) .

The road pricing scheme generates money from car users that can be hypothecated into resolving the negative externalities that are generated by apathy towards the toll. If congestion continues at the same rate, the scheme not failed, as these charges

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Economics

...Perspective Erik Verhoef, Free University Amsterdam Paper prepared for IMPRINT 1. Introduction Marginal cost pricing in transport is a ‘hot’ topic, in at least two senses. First, as is well known, over the last decade(s), sophisticated pricing policies in transport have evolved from a primarily academic, theoretical construct, to a realistic and seriously considered option for many areas – urban and non-urban – around the world. This is due to (at least) two simultaneous, interacting developments, viz. the steady growth in transport related problems such as congestion and emissions on the one hand, and the development of technologies enabling automated charging on the other. So, marginal cost pricing in transport is ‘hot’ in the sense that many governments, at different spatial levels, seriously explore the possibilities for implementing some form of pricing policies aimed at the containment of transport-induced externalities. At the same time, such proposals are rarely met by great public enthusiasm, making it a ‘hot’ topic from the political viewpoint in that policy makers might easily burn their hands when proposing to drastic pricing reforms in transport. A very common result is that proposals for pricing schemes often end up in the proverbial wastebasket long before a first penny was to be actually charged. Apparently, the implementation of marginal cost based pricing in transport is not as straightforward as it may seem after calculating the net social benefits that can be...

Words: 8331 - Pages: 34

Premium Essay

Supply and Demand

...page 2 of text for a definition of scarcity. Goods need not be unattainable to be scarce. Because people’s incomes are limited, they cannot have everything they want from shops, even though the shops are stocked full. If all items in shops were free, the shelves would soon be emptied! ( If we would all like more money, why does the government not print a lot more? Could it not thereby solve the problem of scarcity ‘at a stroke’? The problem of scarcity is one of a lack of production. Simply printing more money without producing more goods and services will merely lead to inflation. To the extent that firms cannot meet the extra demand (i.e. the extra consumer expenditure) by extra production, they will respond by putting up their prices. Without extra production, consumers will end up unable to buy any more than previously. 5 ( (Box 1.1) What is it that makes each one of the above news items an economics item? Each one of the items has something to do with production, consumption or exchange, and/or the money incomes and expenditures involved. 6 ( Which of the following are macroeconomic issues, which are microeconomic ones and which could be either depending on the context?...

Words: 89665 - Pages: 359

Premium Essay

Principles of Managerial Economics

...“This document is attributed to Donald N. Stengel” Attributed  to  Donald  N.  Stengal   Saylor  URL:  http://www.saylor.org/books/           Saylor.org   1       Chapter  1   Introduction  to  Managerial   Economics     What  Is  Managerial  Economics?   One standard definition for economics is the study of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. A second definition is the study of choice related to the allocation of scarce resources. The first definition indicates that economics includes any business, nonprofit organization, or administrative unit. The second definition establishes that economics is at the core of what managers of these organizations do. This book presents economic concepts and principles from the perspective of “managerial economics,” which is a subfield of economics that places special emphasis on the choice aspect in the second definition. The purpose of managerial economics is to provide economic terminology and reasoning for the improvement of managerial decisions. Most readers will be familiar with two different conceptual approaches to the study of economics: microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics studies phenomena related to goods and services from the perspective of individual decisionmaking entities—that is, households and businesses. Macroeconomics approaches the same phenomena at an aggregate level, for...

Words: 51880 - Pages: 208

Premium Essay

Microeconomic

...PRINCIPLES ECONOMICS Discuss how incentives af fect people’s behavior The word economy comes from the Greek word for “one who manages a household.” At first, this origin might seem peculiar. But, in fact, households and economies have much in common. A household faces many decisions. It must decide which members of the household do which tasks and what each member gets in return: Who cooks dinner? Who does the laundry? Who gets the extra dessert at dinner? Who gets to choose what TV show to watch? In short, the household must allocate its scarce resources among its various members, taking into account each member’s abilities, efforts, and desires. Like a household, a society faces many decisions. A society must decide what jobs will be done and who will do them. It needs some people to grow food, other people to make clothing, and still others to design computer software. Once society has allocated people (as well as land, buildings, and machines) to various jobs, 3 Consider why trade among people or nations can be good for everyone Discuss why markets are a good, but not per fect, way to allocate resources Learn what determines some trends in the overall economy 1 TLFeBOOK 2 4 Ten Principles of Economics PA R T O N E INTRODUCTION scarcity the limited nature of society’s resources economics the study of how society manages its scarce resources it must also allocate the output of goods and services that they produce. It must decide who will eat...

Words: 235775 - Pages: 944

Premium Essay

The Economic Benefits of Environmental Policy

...The economic benefits of environmental policy A project under the Framework contract for economic analysis ENV.G.1/FRA/2006/0073 - 2nd FINAL REPORT November 2009 Matt Raymenta, Elke Pirgmaierb, Griet De Ceusterc, Friedrich Hinterbergerb, Onno Kuikd, Henry Leveson Gowera, Christine Polzinb, Adarsh Varmaa a b c d GHK Sustainable Europe Research Institute (SERI) Transport & Mobility Leuven VU University Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) Institute for Environmental Studies Vrije Universiteit De Boelelaan 1087 1081 HV AMSTERDAM The Netherlands Tel. ++31-20-5989 555 Fax. ++31-20-5989 553 E-mail: info@ivm.falw.vu.nl Internet: http://www.vu.nl/ivm vrije Universiteit amsterdam Contents Executive Summary 1. 2. 3. 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 4. 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 5. 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 6. 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 7. 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 8. 8.1 Introduction Environmental Policy and the Economy Environmental Policies and Productivity Description and background Policy instruments Review of evidence from the wider literature Evidence from examples and case studies Scale of economic benefits to date and assessment of the further potential Beneficiaries and timescale Environmental Policies and Innovation Description and background Policy instruments Review of evidence Examples and case studies Scale of economic benefits Beneficiaries and timescale Environmental Policies and Employment Description and background Policy instruments Review of evidence from...

Words: 78697 - Pages: 315

Premium Essay

Managerial Microeconomics

...This page intentionally left blank Managerial Economics Managerial economics, meaning the application of economic methods in the managerial decision-making process, is a fundamental part of any business or management course. This textbook covers all the main aspects of managerial economics: the theory of the firm; demand theory and estimation; production and cost theory and estimation; market structure and pricing; game theory; investment analysis and government policy. It includes numerous and extensive case studies, as well as review questions and problem-solving sections at the end of each chapter. Nick Wilkinson adopts a user-friendly problem-solving approach which takes the reader in gradual steps from simple problems through increasingly difficult material to complex case studies, providing an understanding of how the relevant principles can be applied to real-life situations involving managerial decision-making. This book will be invaluable to business and economics students at both undergraduate and graduate levels who have a basic training in calculus and quantitative methods. N I C K W I L K I N S O N is Associate Professor in Economics at Richmond, The American International University in London. He has taught business and economics in various international institutions in the UK and USA, as well as working in business management in both countries.    Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge...

Words: 75065 - Pages: 301

Free Essay

Ebusiness

...Introduction to E-business To Debbie and Richard Introduction to E-business Management and strategy Colin Combe AMSTERDAM  BOSTON  HEIDELBERG  LONDON  NEW YORK PARIS  SAN DIEGO  SAN FRANCISCO  SINGAPORE  SYDNEY Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier   OXFORD TOKYO Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803 First edition 2006 Copyright ß 2006, Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone: (þ44) (0) 1865 843830; fax: (þ44) (0) 1865 853333; email: permissions@elsevier.com. Alternatively you can submit your request online by visiting the Elsevier website at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ permissions, and selecting Obtaining permission to use Elsevier material British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data Control Number: 2005938727 ISBN–13: 978-0-7506-6731-9 ISBN–10: 0-7506-6731-1 For information on all Butterworth-Heinemann publications visit our website at http:/ /books.elsevier.com Printed and bound in...

Words: 142464 - Pages: 570

Premium Essay

Diamond Essay

...MIcroeconomics: Markets, Methods & Models Douglas Curtis and Ian Irvine | Version 2014/2015 $ ADAPTED OPEN TEXT FORMATIVE ONLINE ASSESSMENT COURSE SUPPLEMENTS COURSE LOGISTICS & SUPPORT a d v a n c i n g l e a r n i n g www.lyryx.com Copyright This work is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en_GB Douglas Curtis and Ian Irvine Edition 1.11 This edition is differentiated from the first edition solely by minor editorial adjustments. Content has not been altered. Microeconomics: Markets, Methods and Models About the Authors Doug Curtis is a specialist in macroeconomics. He is the author of twenty research papers on fiscal policy, monetary policy, and economic growth and structural change. He has also prepared research reports for Canadian industry and government agencies and authored numerous working papers. He completed his PhD at McGill University, and has held visiting appointments at the University of Cambridge and the University of York in the United Kingdom. His current research interests are monetary and fiscal policy rules, and the relationship between economic growth and structural change. He is Professor Emeritus of Economics at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, and Sessional Adjunct Professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario Ian Irvine is a specialist in microeconomics, public economics, economic inequality...

Words: 118779 - Pages: 476

Premium Essay

Toyota Motor Corporation Swot Analysis

...Columbia Project: Use of Software to Achieve Competitive Advantage AUTOMOBILES: TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION Gaining and Sustaining Long-term Advantage Through Information Technology Case Prepared By William V. Rapp Co-Principal Investigator The College of International Relations Ritsumeikan University Kyoto, Japan 914-945-0630 (Fax: 914-923-1416; 011-81-75-466-1214) E-mail: william.rapp@aya.yale.edu April 2000 SOFTWARE AS A TOOL OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY 1 2 3 4 5 Introduction: Objectives of this Benchmarking Study……………………….…….3 Approach: Methodology and Questions…………………………………………....9 Introduction to Case…………………………………………………………….…10 The Industry Context: The Japanese and Global Automobile Industries………….10 Toyota’s Multi-faceted Global Strategy………………………………….………..21 Smart Production (scheduling, buffer stocks, interactive controls) Smart Design IT and Management of Supplier Networks Smart Marketing Responding to Demand Changes Through Smart Production & Design 6 Smart Car…………………………………………………………………….……...42 Environmentally Smart Cars Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) 7 8 Information Technology Infrastructure and Project Selection………………………60 Summary - Controlling the Future…………………………………………………..68 Exhibit 1 - Promotion Plan for Intelligent Transportation System………………………78 Exhibit 2 - Toyota’s ITS Businesses and R&D………………………………………….79 Exhibit 3 - ITS Evolutionary Development……………………………………………..80 Appendix I Summary Answers to Questions for Toyota...

Words: 31150 - Pages: 125

Premium Essay

Accounting

...Seventh Edition Accounting for Decision Making and Control Jerold L. Zimmerman University of Rochester To: Conner, Easton, and Jillian ACCOUNTING FOR DECISION MAKING AND CONTROL, SEVENTH EDITION Published by McGraw-Hill, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Previous editions © 2009, 2006, and 2003. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 DOW/DOW 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 ISBN MHID 978-0-07-813672-6 0-07-813672-5 Vice President & Editor-in-Chief: Brent Gordon Vice President of EDP: Sesha Bolisetty Editorial Director: Stewart Mattson Sponsoring Editor: Dick Hercher Marketing Manager: Sankha Basu Editorial Coordinator: Rebecca Mann Project Manager: Erin Melloy Design Coordinator: Brenda A. Rolwes Cover Designer: Studio Montage, St. Louis, Missouri Production Supervisor: Sue Culbertson Media Project Manager: Balaji Sundararaman Compositor: MPS Limited, A Macmillan Company...

Words: 209552 - Pages: 839

Premium Essay

Accounting for Decision Making and Control

...Seventh Edition Accounting for Decision Making and Control Jerold L. Zimmerman University of Rochester To: Conner, Easton, and Jillian ACCOUNTING FOR DECISION MAKING AND CONTROL, SEVENTH EDITION Published by McGraw-Hill, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Previous editions © 2009, 2006, and 2003. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 DOW/DOW 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 ISBN MHID 978-0-07-813672-6 0-07-813672-5 Vice President & Editor-in-Chief: Brent Gordon Vice President of EDP: Sesha Bolisetty Editorial Director: Stewart Mattson Sponsoring Editor: Dick Hercher Marketing Manager: Sankha Basu Editorial Coordinator: Rebecca Mann Project Manager: Erin Melloy Design Coordinator: Brenda A. Rolwes Cover Designer: Studio Montage, St. Louis, Missouri Production Supervisor: Sue Culbertson Media Project Manager: Balaji Sundararaman Compositor: MPS Limited, A Macmillan Company...

Words: 209552 - Pages: 839

Premium Essay

Managerial Economics Pdf File

...A UTH-WE ST MBA series N's CEN G SO ER GE in E conomics Managerial Economics A Problem Solving Approach SECOND EDITION LUKE M. FROEB Vanderbilt University BRIAN T. MC CANN Vanderbilt University Australia • Brazil • Japan • Korea • Mexico • Singapore • Spain • United Kingdom • United States Managerial Economics: A Problem Solving Approach, Second Edition Luke M. Froeb, Brian T. McCann Vice President of Editorial, Business: Jack W. Calhoun Vice President/Editor-in-Chief: Joe Sabatino Acquisitions Editor: Michael Worls Developmental Editor: Jean Buttrom Associate Marketing Manager: Betty Jung Content Project Manager: Lindsay Bethoney Media Editor: Deepak Kumar © 2010, 2008 South-Western, Cengage Learning ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution, information storage and retrieval systems, or in any other manner—except as may be permitted by the license terms herein. For product information and technology assistance, contact us at Cengage Learning Customer & Sales Support, 1-800-354-9706 For permission to use material from this text or product, submit all requests online at www.cengage.com/permissions Further permissions questions can be emailed to permissionrequest@cengage.com Print Buyer: Sandee Milewski Production Service:...

Words: 130248 - Pages: 521

Free Essay

Telco Regulation

...Edition Tenth Anniversary Edition TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATION HANDBOOK TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATION HANDBOOK The Telecommunications Regulation Handbook is essential reading for anyone involved or concerned by the regulation of information and communications markets. In 2010 the Handbook was fully revised and updated to mark its tenth anniversary, in response to the considerable change in technologies and markets over the past 10 years, including the mobile revolution and web 2.0. The Handbook reflects modern developments in the information and communications technology sector and analyzes the regulatory challenges ahead. Designed to be pragmatic, the Handbook provides a clear analysis of the issues and identifies the best regulatory implementation strategies based on global experience. February 2011 – SKU 32489 Edited by Colin Blackman and Lara Srivastava Tenth Anniversary Edition TELECOMMUNICATIONS REGULATION HANDBOOK Edited by Colin Blackman and Lara Srivastava Telecommunications Regulation Handbook Tenth Anniversary Edition Edited by Colin Blackman and Lara Srivastava ©2011 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank, InfoDev, and The International Telecommunication Union All rights reserved 1 2 3 4 14 13 12 11 This volume is a product of the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank, InfoDev, and The International Telecommunication Union. The...

Words: 132084 - Pages: 529

Premium Essay

Kscnkslv

...Economic Outlook, Prospects, and Policy Challenges 01 CHAPTER This year’s Economic Survey comes at a time of unusual volatility in the international economic environment. Markets have begun to swing on fears that the global recovery may be faltering, while risks of extreme events are rising. Amidst this gloomy landscape, India stands out as a haven of stability and an outpost of opportunity. Its macro-economy is stable, founded on the government’s commitment to fiscal consolidation and low inflation. Its economic growth is amongst the highest in the world, helped by a reorientation of government spending toward needed public infrastructure. These achievements are remarkable not least because they have been accomplished in the face of global headwinds and a second successive season of poor rainfall. The task now is to sustain them in an even more difficult global environment. This will require careful economic management. As regards monetary and liquidity policy, the benign outlook for inflation, widening output gaps, the uncertainty about the growth outlook and the over-indebtedness of the corporate sector all imply that there is room for easing. Fiscal consolidation continues to be vital, and will need to maintain credibility and reduce debt, in an uncertain global environment, while sustaining growth. On the government’s “reformto-transform” agenda, a series of measures, each incremental but collectively meaningful have been enacted. There have also...

Words: 64752 - Pages: 260

Free Essay

Technologies for Alternative Energy

...Technologies for Alternative Energy Climate Change Working Paper No. 7 Ainsley Jolley Climate Change Project Working Paper Series March 2006 Centre for Strategic Economic Studies Victoria University PO Box 14428 Melbourne VIC 8001 AUSTRALIA Telephone +613 9919 1340 Fax +613 9919 1350 Email: csesinfo@vu.edu.au Website: http://www.cfses.com Technologies for Alternative Energy 1. Introduction In Papers 5 and 6 technologies for the main sources of energy consumption were discussed. In Papers 7 and 8 the attention is focussed on technologies that impact on emissions from energy production. Table 1 provides data on the main sources of GHG emissions in the advanced economies for the year 2000. Table 1. Sources of GHG Emissions in the Advanced Economies, 2000 Source of emissions Electricity and heat production Petroleum refining Other energy production (coal and gas transformation) Fugitive emissions (coal, oil and gas) Total energy production All sources of emissions Note: (a) energy production as % of all sources of emissions. Source: CSES (2004). Tg CO2 -e 3831.2 420.7 324.6 441.5 5018.1 13175.3 % of total 76.3 8.4 6.5 8.8 38.1 (a) Papers 7 and 8 focus on emissions from the production of electricity and heat, which represent 76.3% of all emissions related to energy production. The other sources of emissions are not discussed in detail in this report. Coverage of the issues relating to these sources of emissions is given in CSES (2004). Incremental technological...

Words: 30324 - Pages: 122