Stockholm Congestion Tax
Posted in Models by Virginia on March 18th, 2009
The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #101, 10 March 2009, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar newsletter provides an excellent commentary on sustainable transport issues.
“The Stockholm congestion charge is a congestion pricing system implemented as a tax which is levied on most vehicles entering and exiting central Stockholm, Sweden. The congestion tax was implemented on a permanent basis on August 1, 2007, after seven month trial period between January 3, 2006 and July 31, 2006. The primary purpose of the congestion tax is to reduce traffic congestion and improve the environmental situation in central Stockholm. The funds collected will be used for new road constructions in and around Stockholm. A referendum was held in September 2006 a couple months after the end of the trial period. In the referendum the residents of Stockholm municipality voted yes and in 14 other municipalities voted no to implement it permanently. On October 1, 2006, the leaders of the winning parties in the 2006 general election, declared they would implement the Stockholm congestion tax permanently. The parliament approved this on June 20, 2007, and the congestion tax came into effect on August 1, 2007.â€
Ref: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_congestion_tax
And Also … “London Mayor Boris Johnson has admitted being fined for failing to pay the city’s congestion charge. The mayor said he ‘totally forgot’ to pay the £8-a-day charge in the required 48 hours after he drove into central London last month [triggering a £60 fine].â€
Ref: BBC News, 8/1/09
