A satellite-based road-user charging (RUC) pilot has launched in Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona.
The Immense urban mobility programme, first announced in April, is being led by Abertis Mobility Services (AMS) in collaboration with EIT Urban Mobility – an initiative of the European Union’s European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
The pilot aims to develop digital tools for simulating a satellite toll payment system by distance with back-office management and an app.
It also seeks to reduce private vehicle usage and promote sustainable transport through traffic demand management strategies and a user app to control road infrastructure use.
The system will be tested by drivers in Esplugues de Llobregat and Munich, Germany, over a two-month period, with a platform capable of managing urban traffic demand through dynamic pricing.
Drivers will be informed about how much they will pay defined by a fixed tariff to access a low emission zone, on top of a variable tariff according to the number of kilometres travelled, the level of usage and the level of congestion at the time of access.
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Dr Maria Tsavachidis, CEO of EIT Urban Mobility, said: “Changes to the transportation system have a direct impact on citizens, businesses, and communities.
“Therefore, citizen participation and awareness during testing are key to ensuring acceptance and a wider scale of these solutions.”
AMS has carried out similar RUC programmes in the US states of Washington, Oregon, Utah and Virginia through its subsidiary Emovis.
Christian Barrientos, CEO of AMS, said: “We believe that all mobility agents and actors should promote a paradigm shift in urban traffic management, implementing traffic demand management schemes, to improve air quality, reduce the use of private vehicles entering the city centre.”
He added that the pay-per-use tolling programme “will open the door for many European cities to improve their own infrastructure and traffic management options and, more importantly, have a huge positive impact on the lives of their communities”.
The pilot is being carried out via a consortium led by Carnet and in collaboration with Cima Engineering & Environmental, the Universtat Politècnica de Catalunya BarcelonaTech, the City Council of Esplugues de Llobre, and the City Council of Munich.
You can learn more about the key trends and challenges affecting senior decision makers who have responsibility for tolling, intelligent transportation systems and road pricing across the world at the 21st annual Road User Charging Conference in Brussels, Belgium on 05-06 March 2024. Click here for more information.
