Thesis
Usage-based road pricing in the context of urban Australia
Southern Cross University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25918/thesis.304
Appears in Recent Southern Cross PhD Theses
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Abstract
Transport policy-makers, practitioners, and public transport advocates identified traditional road pricing as one of the reasons behind the increasing urban transport challenges and the growing demand for road transport. Many recommend implementing usage-based road pricing, e.g., distance-based charging (DBC), which internalises the external costs of private motor vehicle usage, to address this problem. While such pricing is still in its infancy in the context of passenger transport, the importance of a viable transport alternative (to private vehicles) is often underestimated. In an Australian context, public or active transport is not a feasible travel alternative in many urban locations, and this could compel captive road users to bear additional transport burdens, thereby leading to inequitable outcomes.
To understand the implications of usage-based pricing, this study commenced with an analysis of existing vehicle classification systems across Australia. The findings indicate that current arrangements fail to internalise the external costs and are largely ad-hoc, inconsistent, and outdated. It was concluded that vehicles should, at the very least, be classified by their Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) and emissions – the two key characteristics affecting the external costs of road usage in the context of passenger vehicles.
Next, using 2009-12 South East Queensland Household Travel Survey data, and the factors identified in the literature and available in this dataset, a regression model was estimated to identify the factors affecting commute distance. The results indicated that accessibility, at both place of residence and work, has the strongest impact on commute distance. It was therefore concluded that usage-based pricing will not be effective in reducing road usage until accessibility improves between residential and work locations.
Finally, the study focused on the equity implications of usage-based road pricing. After identifying low- and high-cost impact groups based on commute distance, GVM and emissions, logistic regression analysis was undertaken to assess potential horizontal equity issues. The findings confirmed that usage-based pricing would result in both horizontal and vertical inequity until accessibility is improved through greater public transport coverage and service quality, connectivity between residential, commercial and industrial zones, and more mixed-use and high-density developments. Furthermore, such a pricing scheme should incorporate some form of zonal and/or temporal variability that takes the local transport context into consideration. For road users who are less or even non-responsive to pricing mechanisms, campaigns raising general awareness of the broader societal and environmental impacts of private vehicle use are recommended.
Details
- Title
- Usage-based road pricing in the context of urban Australia
- Creators
- Suman Sen
- Contributors
- Michael B Charles (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityJennifer L Harrison (Supervisor) - Southern Cross University
- Awarding Institution
- Southern Cross University; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Theses
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
- Publisher
- Southern Cross University
- Number of pages
- xvi, 217
- Identifiers
- 991013142813402368
- Copyright
- © S Sen 2022
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Business, Law and Arts
- Resource Type
- Thesis