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Dutch road pricing trial successful

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CIOL Bureau
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LONDON, UK: A road pricing trial conducted by NXP and IBM in the Netherlands, on behalf of the government of the Netherlands, has been declared successful since the test reduced traffic congestion, as well as decreased the kilometres driven and emissions of carbon dioxide. 

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The 6-month-long road pricing trial, conducted in the city of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, was intended to give the government of the Netherlands insights into how to address traffic congestion and green targets in the country.

In a statement, NXP said the test was declared a success, with 70 per cent of drivers having changed their behavior to avoid highly priced rush-hour driving. 

The trial involved GPS and the installation of onboard electronics, which provided instant feedback on the price of the road and the total charges for the trip at a given time. As a result of this, the drivers involved in the trial drove less, on an average; were stuck in less number of traffic jams; and saw their cost per kilometre improve by 16 per cent.

The Netherlands will introduce a compulsory road-use charge – starting for trucks in 2012 and for passenger cars in 2013 – and is expected to cover all roads in the country by 2016.

When implemented fully, the price-per-kilometer system is likely to achieve the following benefits: a 58 per cent reduction in delays caused by traffic jams; a 10 per cent decrease in the emissions of carbon dioxide; a 15 per cent cut in the total number of kilometres driven; and a 6 per cent rise in total passenger kilometres via public transport. 

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