Determinants of Toll Price Elasticity of Traffic Demand: A Comprehensive Analysis of Nationwide Demonstration Projects on Flexible Road Use Tolls in Japan

In Japan, the implementation of policies designed to reduce traffic congestion in ordinary roads by providing discounted toll road charges (thereby shifting traffic from ordinary roads to toll roads) has become more practical with the increased use of the electronic toll collection system. We analyze toll price elasticity of traffic demand, which is directly measured using these nationwide demonstration projects and can be regarded as the main indicator for evaluating policies. Because elasticities were measured across various demonstration projects and different sections of the roads, exploring the determinants of toll price elasticity is possible. Cross-sectional elasticities were compared for different projects, and more comprehensively, a multiple regression analysis of toll price elasticity at the interchange (IC) pair level was performed. Vehicle type difference, magnitude of discount rate, difference in time frame, and geographical conditions of toll roads (e.g., the distance from an ordinary road to the nearest IC) were found to significantly affect toll price elasticity of traffic demand.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABE20 Transportation Economics.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Tsukada, Yukihiro
  • Fukuda, Daisuke
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 14p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Elasticity (Economics); Multiple regression analysis; Pricing; Travel demand; Travel demand management; Variable tolls
• Geographic Terms: Japan
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Economics; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I10: Economics and Administration; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01517581
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-1493
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 10 2014 9:24AM