California Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology

Over the past decade road pricing has moved from the drawing board to practice in projects large and small around the world. But while interest in and experience with electronic roadway tolling is on the rise, political acceptance is not yet widespread and standard models of implementation and management have yet to evolve. Accordingly, this report examines a variety of road pricing projects– some that were smoothly implemented, and others that encountered significant obstacles along the way. Based on these cases and a thorough review of the literature, we draw lessons to guide future implementation and management efforts. We find that the most common barriers to successful implementation concern political acceptability, incomplete or ambiguous public-private contracts, and the complex workings of highly bureaucratic government agencies. Collectively, these case studies show that there is no single best implementation and management structure; what works best depends significantly on the initiative’s objectives, the availability of public and private resources, and political leadership.