A social perspective on sustainable transport policy. A case study on car road pricing in Austria

Abstract

The current transport system in industrialised countries is far from being sustainable, partly due to the negative impacts of motorised individual transport. Car road pricing would present a policy instrument to reduce the transport volume and to change the modal split. However, its effects go beyond the transport system itself and influence the different dimensions of sustainability, especially the social dimension. In the present paper the impacts of different car road pricing scenarios in Austria are discussed. It aims to present the operationalisation of the social dimension and its significance in relation to the other dimensions of sustainability, often represented by a trade-off. Results concerning the impacts of car road pricing on the Austrian population are discussed with regard to the feasibility and acceptance of such a measure. Different options to overcome the negative acceptance of road pricing or to reduce the trade-offs are suggested.