Smart road charging test changes mobility behavior in Belgium
The city of Leuven in Belgium, and a consortium of companies including IBM, NXP, Touring, Mobistar, Magic View, NSL and Transport and Mobility Leuven (TML), presented the results of the pilot project "Smart Mobility". Two years ago, the consortium introduced the technology that enables national, regional or local government to guide their mobility policy. During a test project, where drivers were fictively charged for the use of their car, there was a change in the mobility behaviour. The test results show that a smart road charging changes the mobility behaviour of users, reduces traffic congestion and that the government can use this system to guide and adjust its mobility policy.
11,000 trips
The pilot project, including a behavioural experiment, ran from September 2011 to January 2012 and consisted of three periods of two months each. During the first period, the normal mobility behaviour of the subjects was benchmarked. The actual test took place in the second period. The subjects drove around and their journeys were taxed based on road type, time, distance and environmental characteristics of the vehicle. A total of 11,000 trips were made and nearly 100,000 km travelled.The test persons could follow the fictitious pricing of their route on their personal On-Board Unit, but they were also able to check an overview of their journeys and the price they would pay for it online. In the last period, the road charging was turned off again to check whether the subjects relapsed in their old mobility habits.
Relapse danger
During the actual test, over half of the drivers improved their personal behaviour by opting to drive cheaper. But three-quarters of them relapsed after the road charging was suspended. All subjects together drove 5% less on local roads during peak periods, and in total about 60% of the time they drove during off peak periods. The test persons also thought about alternative forms of transport such as cycling or public transport and when possible they tried to avoid the rush hours on the road.
With this practice test, IBM, Touring, Mobistar, NXP, NSL, MagicView and Transport & Mobility Leuven have shown the different regional governments in Belgium that the technology is ready and available.
|
Registration 
