Introduction
The report consolidates results and lessons learned from a multi-year road pricing trial for passenger cars conducted by DTU and Sund & Bælt.
Commissioned by the Danish Ministry of Transport, the trial was funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU under the political agreement on the Green Transition of Road Transport (December 2020).
The report provides an in-depth review of the trial’s findings on behavioral effects and technical feasibility regarding a potential road pricing scheme.
The report explores among other things traffic effects of and technical solutions for implementing road pricing.
You can read the report here, including a summary of the key results:
Rapport
Reduced traffic in city centres and suburban areas
The report describes how road pricing reduced traffic in the areas and time periods where charges were in effect.
The reduction in traffic was most pronounced in the city centres of Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, and Aalborg, where traffic fell by approximately 12–22%. In suburban zones around these cities, the reduction was less pronounced, yet still significant, typically 7–11%.
The higher peak-hour rates functioned as intended: traffic fell in proportion to the charges, which were double the off-peak rates.
These effects depend on how the tolling model is set up: which zones are subject to charges, what the rates are, and how they vary between peak and off-peak.
Key lessons on technology and operations
Beyond traffic impacts, the trial provided a real-world test of technical and administrative solutions.
The report confirms that road pricing for passenger cars is technically feasible, while highlighting robustness, user-friendliness, and administration as critical factors for a potential future scheme.
