The Planning of Toll Roads—Do Public Attitudes Matter?;Case of the Oslo Toll Ring

Abstract

In most countries, decisions on major infrastructure projects are most often carried out after a comprehensive public debate, especially when involving user payments. A time-series interview survey for the period 1989 to 1995 is used to review the Oslo toll ring scheme and determine and explain the public’s attitudes toward the scheme. A multivariate model is developed to isolate factors that affect users’ attitudes toward tolls. The results reveal that, although a majority of commuters oppose the toll system, the gap between those who are against and those who are in favor of the toll ring system is narrowing as the years go by. This narrowing process is analyzed. It is concluded that to achieve greater acceptability for tolling in road infrastructure funding, a more comprehensive range of targeted marketing efforts is required. Finally, a set of points of direct relevance for planning and marketing of future toll projects is proposed.